Blooming Love, oh, and Calculus
by cursedgirls13
Summary: Eren, a charming boy known for his outstanding athletic abilities, but not for his brains, struggles with his advanced calculus class. So why not get the smartest kid in the grade, A.K.A. Mikasa's "worst enemy", to tutor him?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! I'm here with a high school AU starring Eren and Levi (｡´∀｀)ﾉ I'm also here losing my mind over this story.**

**What I did here (idontregretanything) is make Levi Mikasa's younger, smarter brother. Kyoki, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, and I agreed that he and Mikasa would be siblings who like to pick on one another just for the laughs and if they're bored; every once in a while, they'd come to school with a bruise or cut sincerely made by each other （ ´∀｀） Haha. - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan.**

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><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

Sixteen-year-old Eren Jaeger is a hard-working, intelligent student with a schedule filled with AP classes, though his academic side is heavily disguised by his incredible athletic abilities. He's the best player on Shiganshina High's lacrosse team. Handsome, boyish features and a warm, friendly personality makes Eren popular with the lovely young ladies of Shiganshina High School.

Sounds like a perfect and charming guy, right? Well...a word about that "intelligent student" remark.

It's true, but there's this one subject that he passes with luck, and that subject is called _calculus_. _AP_ Calculus. The thought of this killer math class is enough to make Eren shiver, which he does as he looks at tonight's homework.

"How do I get by?" he asks to no one in particular at the end of class, storing away the piece of paper into a binder. His blonde, blue-eyed best friend, Armin Arlert, happens to sit right next to him.

"You must at least be listening to the teacher. Or your subconscious is soaking up the information."

"Did you see my last test score? I was third on the test rankings," Eren says wistfully. He had gotten a 71, but at least his parents didn't take it hard. One glance at his math homework sends them running away.

"Eren, that's great! Well, at least for this class."

"Yeah, but the person behind me got a 49, Armin. _A 49_."

"I'll admit that that test was made for someone incredibly intelligent. Perhaps the reincarnation of Einstein." Armin shrugs. "Well, it's not like my test score was any better." He had ranked second last calculus test with a 79.

"I think the one who ranked first was…" The blonde thinks for a moment. "Levi."

"Mikasa's brother?" Eren inquires. Mikasa is their best friend, but they don't hear too awfully much about her academically-skilled brother. Levi is also in Eren's AP Chemistry class, his name always at the top of the rankings, while Eren is always close second. He can't seem to pass the other boy.

"Yeah, him. I caught a glimpse of his score," Armin leans in, "and it was _perfect_."

"He got 100 on that test? I'm not surprised." That test was literally impossible. So many equations and numbers, they all got jumbled up in Eren's head. He actually started to think that his teacher was the devil himself.

"By the by, isn't Levi Mikasa's younger brother?" Armin asks, curious. Eren nods, then glances over at the dark-haired boy before looking back at his friend.

"Obviously."

Armin lets out wheeze, trying to keep himself from laughing. Eren backtracks, flustered.

"Not that it's an insult or anything." He's never been the one to verbally abuse, even unintentionally, people he doesn't know well.

"Actually, mentioning that he's younger could be an insult to Mikasa."

That's right. Levi is in a lot more AP classes and has outstanding grades. He's easily the smartest kid in eleventh grade, despite being only fifteen.

"Exactly." The brunette shivers, imagining what she would do if she overheard this conversion. "She isn't really close to him, is she."

"In some cold, distant way, she probably is."

"You're confusing me." Eren brushes it off. "Anyways, did I mention that if we don't bring up our scores soon, we could be kicked out of this class?"

"Can they really? Wouldn't there be more people than they can hold in the lower classes?"

"This trimester, maybe, but next trimester starts next week."

"Oh, that's right. And there are a lot more lower classes than higher ones. Well…" Armin trails off, getting a thoughtful look on his face. "I'll probably just go to the math labs after class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What about you?"

Eren frowns. "The math labs should help you, but they didn't help me too awfully much," he sighs dejectedly. "I need a private tutor or something. I'm calculus-challenged."

Armin glances away from Eren for a second before getting that sparkle in his eyes. "You know who the best tutor would be?"

"What?"

"The kid who always gets the highest marks on every single calculus test given to us."

"You mean, Levi? Isn't that treading on thin ice?" Especially since he and Mikasa aren't exactly the best of siblings.

"Not if you need math help. Badly," Armin points out. "Besides, it's not like he's a total stranger, we've met him once or twice. And you have one other class with him, yeah?"

"I guess so…"

His parents are close friends with Mikasa's parents, so they know about Mikasa and Levi. Eren also recalls the several times going over to Mikasa's house to study with Armin and her, and since they usually stayed a little into dinnertime, he would occasionally see Levi moving around in the kitchen, making dinner silently. The brunette has been Levi's science partner, once. He remembers the dark-haired boy as friendly in a shy, quiet way.

"Fine, I'll ask," Eren resolves. He hesitates.

"Just go! The worst thing he could do is say no."

"Okay, geez!" The brunette stands up, making his way to the back of the classroom.

He nods at Marco Bodt, one of his good friends and teammate on the lacrosse team, when the freckled boy smiles kindly in a brief greeting.

Eren feels a bit nervous as he gets closer to Levi, who quietly reads a book at his desk. He needs major math help, after all.

"Hey." The brunette stops next to Levi. The dark-haired boy immediately glances up, startled. He pushes his glasses up to bridge of his nose.

"Hello, Eren." He looks tentative, closing his book. "So…?"

"To get straight to the point, I need help with calculus," the brunette says. "Major help. I barely passed the last test."

"...So you want me to tutor you?" Levi asks softly.

Eren nods. "That would be nice."

Levi pauses for a moment, probably thinking this decision over, especially since it's so sudden. The brunette sees him hesitate, then the dark-haired boy exhales.

"Sure, why not."

"Really? Thanks." Eren feels internally grateful. And so relieved. Maybe there's hope that he'll make it through AP Calculus, even if it's only a tiny sliver.

"Mm-hm. I heard that they're going to start kicking out kids who don't get passing grades." Levi frowns. "I don't think that's too terribly smart on their part. How will they get enough kids to actually make a class?"

"All I know is that I'm not going to fail this class. The lower classes are too easy," Eren says with a shrug. "I like challenges, so I was hoping to stay in this class for a little longer."

Levi places his book into his messenger bag, then looks up at the brunette. "Alright, how about tomorrow at my house? You have lacrosse practice today, right?"

"Yeah...how did you know?"

"Mikasa's team meet was postponed to earlier for today. Besides, her track meets and your practices usually go on at the same time." He adjusts his glasses.

"Right," Eren laughs sheepishly. He forgot that he sees Mikasa after practice on his way to the locker rooms. "Tomorrow it is, then."

"I'll be waiting with bated breath," Levi says jokingly with a small smile. "Now I better get going, Mikasa is almost off track meet." He grimaces for some reason.

Yup. There's definitely some rotten, polluted air between these particular two siblings.

"Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow."

The dark-haired boy grabs his bag and stands up. He makes his way down the aisle between the desks, the sweater around his waist swishing slightly. The brunette finds himself staring slightly, and shakes himself out of his stupor.

"So I take it went well?" Armin asks as Eren approaches him.

"I have hope that I could possibly stay in this class a little longer."

Eren just hopes that Levi has a lot of patience.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! I love Eren and Levi way too much for my own good. They're so adorkable. Haha （ ´∀｀） **

**I should mention this right now: Mikasa has her long hair. For some reason, I think that Eren has a thing for people with dark hair. But that's just me ** (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)** **

**Hanji is gender-neutral. I'm basing her/him off of the manga.** You'll see so in one of Eren and Armin's many conversations. **- Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan.**

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><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"Ugh…"

A loud groan resounds around the room. A tanned hand shoots out of blue comforters to slap around the nightstand in a lame attempt to shut the dang alarm clock up and off. Finally giving up, Eren sits up with a harsh sigh, pushing unruly chocolate locks out of his eyes. He calmly turns off his alarm clock, then flops heavily back onto his bed, placing a hand over his closed eyes.

He has not a single clue why he set his alarm clock for 5:45 in the morning.

A sudden, icy chill washes over his arms, now out of his warm blanket, causing a jarring shiver to rack his body. Even a long-sleeved shirt can't wield off the freezing morning air. With a wet cough, Eren removes the hand over his eyes, now realizing how mucus-y his throat is. It's something that usually occurs when he first wakes up.

The house is silent, but Eren already knows that his parents are still asleep. He always manages to wake up before them, alarm clock or not, and that annoys him to no end. He even manages to wake up before his dad, Grisha, who is an on-call doctor.

It's dark outside and the sky filled with clouds from the window across Eren's bed. It makes him want to stay underneath his warm covers and never come out. But he sighs, once again, kicking off his comforter and swinging his legs over the side of his bed, slowly standing up. He winces, hearing the loud cracks from his barely used ankles in the otherwise silent room. Quietly, he opens the door to his room and makes his way across the hallway to the bathroom to freshen up.

Once he's back in his room, chocolate locks now in its usual fluffy, tousled state, Eren goes to his closet to take out a fresh uniform―dark blue blazer, white dress-shirt, crimson-red tie, black slacks―and changes out of his night clothes.

As he ties his tie, the brunette remembers that he has a study session with Levi this afternoon. Eren remembers _trying_ to do his calculus homework last night, before dragging himself to bed.

Over at his desk, he makes sure he has everything packed for school, keeping a close eye on his writing utensils. The last time he forgot them, he had to borrow a pencil from Armin who gave him this whole lecture on how he should be more careful and attentive to his belongings. A lot of apologizing came from Eren's part. Ever since then, the brunette has been paranoid about triple-checking everything since then.

The brunette, as quietly as humanly possible, walks down the hallway and down the stairs with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder. Downstairs, he makes his way to the kitchen, turning on all the lights, resting his messenger bag on the back of a bar chair. He goes into the pantry, finding a box of cereal and places that on the island in the kitchen, on his way to the fridge to grab some milk.

Eren starts thinking about last night's homework as he grabs a bowl from the cupboard.

He did everything, right?

He pours cereal into the bowl, then milk.

There was a worksheet for history―he grabs a container off the bar counter―and he finished up his chemistry lab...for Spanish, there's a quiz today and Eren studied all the material they had learned for the past two weeks, and he blindly finished calculus homework. Yeah. So he got everything done.

Eren takes out his Invisalign retainer and puts it in its container and takes a spoonful of cereal. His mom, Carla, actually trusts that he'll brush his teeth after every single time he eats, which he does. He's just surprised since, as a teenager, he's expected to be rowdy and loud and not caring. Although, Mom begs to differ and believes that he's a lot more responsible now, so Eren is happy.

"Up so early, sweetheart?" Speaking of Mom…

"Good morning, Mama," Eren greets his mother, who stands at the kitchen entrance in a green v-neck and dark jean capris, her thick chocolate hair (much like his) in its usual side ponytail. She walks over to her son, and he gives her a kiss on the cheek.

As she walks to the cupboard to get a bowl, he remembers.

"Oh, Mom, I probably won't be home until late," Eren mentions. "I'm getting calculus help."

"You got someone to help you out?" Mom asks, pouring cereal into her bowl.

"Mm-hm."

"Oooo, who is it?" She gives the brunette a knowing look and smile. Eren laughs, embarrassed, even though he knows she's joking.

"Levi. Mikasa's brother."

"He's in your calculus class?"

"Yeah."

"I'm happy you're getting some help." She shakes her head. "That math teacher of yours has me on edge."

"Don't worry, I'll bring up my grades."

"I know you will. Just try your best, okay? I'm just satisfied to know that you're in AP Calculus. It's a very hard class."

"You have no idea."

Eren glances at the oven clock. 6:28. Man, time sure flies by, must've been all that thinking about homework.

"I think I'm going to start heading to school." Eren walks with Armin, and it takes about five minutes to get the blonde's house, then another fifteen to get to school.

"Alright, have fun at school, Eren. And try not to give Levi a hard time."

"I'll _try_. I can't guarantee it." His mother gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"That's better than not trying."

* * *

><p>The walk to Armin's house is nice because of the cool breeze and the morning fog. It makes Eren's cheeks get that healthy rosy color.<p>

"Hey there, Eren!" his best friend greets cheerfully, standing in front of his house.

"Hey, Armin. Aren't you freezing standing out here?" They start walking towards school.

"No. Why, are you cold?"

"For now I'm not, but that's because I'm walking."

"Ah. I see." From then on, both boys walk in peaceful silence, just enjoying each other's company.

Eren shoves his hands into his coat pockets, the cold starting to freeze his fingers, but not enough to cause them to fall off. He can see his breath forming a cloud as he exhales. Ever since he was kid, these clouds amused him to no end and they still do, even as a teenager.

He and Armin approach the front gates of the school, the blonde spotting their other best friend with her familiar red scarf and beautiful, long dark hair waiting for them.

"Hey, Mikasa!" Armin says, waving.

The dark-haired girl snaps out of her trance, smiling and waving at the two boys.

"Hello, Armin, Eren," she greets when both the blonde and brunette are a couple feet from from her.

"Hello, Mikasa." Eren nods in a greeting.

All three friends walk onto the school campus, going over to their usual spot under a huge oak tree. The tree is ginormous and probably as old as Eren's English teacher, but it kindly shades them from the sun and rain, which the brunette is hoping will fall from the ominous clouds from above. Rain is another piece of nature he loves and will always enjoy.

"Do you think it will rain?" Armin asks, reading Eren's mind.

"I hope it does," the brunette replies, squinting his eyes slightly as a particularly strong gust of wind blows his hair back.

"Don't worry, I think it will." The blonde looks at the sky above. The school bells ring, a five minute warning telling all the students to get to class.

Mikasa shifts her grip on the strap of her messenger bag. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"We shall." Armin brings his attention to the sea of teenagers making their way into Shinganshina High.

Eren nods in agreement. "Yeah, I better head over to the locker rooms."

Armin and Mikasa have history class together for their first period.

"Okay, we'll see you later," Armin says, waving as he and Mikasa head to the main building, making their way through the crowd of students. Eren waves briefly back, before heading over to the far right of the building, the direction of the gigantic field behind it, to his first period.

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><p>Eren exhales, pressing his forehead to the cool surface of his desk.<p>

"Armin," he says, turning his head to look at the blonde seated across from him, "I actually got half the answers on my homework correct."

Armin looks sheepish. "I only got nine answers out of sixty problems. So I think that's pretty good." The brunette sits up, glancing back at Levi who sits at his desk, looking over a paper (probably tonight's homework) while waving his mechanical pencil between his thumb and pointer finger.

"What do you bet that he got every single answer correct and he understood everything the teacher was talking about?" Eren looks back over to Armin, who holds an amused smile.

"I bet a million dollars. I mean, seriously though, do we really need to ask that? That question already had an answer before you asked it."

"You know?"

"Yeah, I know." Both boys laugh.

"So I guess I'll be staying back today," Armin says. "I bet the math labs are going to be _packed_."

"I know, right? How Mrs. Gaertner," their calculus teacher, "is going to help thirty kids understand, is a mystery to me."

Armin shrugs. "This is my first time in math lab since I wasn't smart enough to start going at the beginning of the trimester. You're lucky that Levi is nice enough to tutor you."

"I just hope that he can tolerate me."

"I'm sure he could wait an eternity for you to understand a single calculus problem. Have you seen his best friend?"

"Oh, you mean Hanji? Yeah, I have AP Chem with both of them," Eren says, leaning back in his chair. "He kind of scares me."

"...Isn't Hanji a girl?" Armin asks, giving the chocolate-haired boy a weird look. Eren pauses his rocking on his chair.

"I actually have no idea. 'She' wears a boy's uniform."

"So? Annie and Ymir do, too."

"True story." The brunette shrugs. "Anyways, I should go over to Levi."

"Have fun," Armin says.

"Have fun doing calculus? Never." Eren stands up from his seat, grabbing his messenger bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alrighty."

As the brunette makes his way to Levi's desk, the petite boy starts putting away his homework in his binder.

"Hello," Eren greets upon stopping next to Levi.

"Hi, Eren. Ready to have your brain majorly fried?" the dark-haired boy asks, standing up and placing his bag on his shoulder. He grabs his binder and hugs it to his chest.

"Oh, gee. Sounds like fun," Eren replies with a slightly monotone voice. Levi smiles, his usual small and shy smile.

"Let's get going."

* * *

><p>The walk to Levi and Mikasa's house is actually pretty comfortable, considering Eren never really took the time to get to know his best friend's younger sibling. Levi is quiet at first, and Eren is the one starting conversations, but once the smaller boy gets comfortable around the brunette, he adds comments here and there.<p>

"Alright, you've been here before, so make yourself comfortable," Levi says, using his house key to open the front door and hold it open for Eren. "I have to clear off the table."

He closes the door and quickly takes off his shoes, making his way into the depths of the house. Eren takes off his own shoes in a much more relaxed manner. He knows their house well and goes to the living room, where Levi clears the low table of books and other stuff lying around.

"This is so annoying…" the dark-haired boy mutters to himself, placing books and papers in neat piles. "Mikasa and her clutter...I swear I just cleaned this table off…"

Eren smiles in amusement, watching as Levi makes his way upstairs with a pile of books and papers in his arms. Sitting down, the brunette places his bag at the end of the table with a sigh.

Today's class was rough with more complicated equations and figures and whatnot. It makes Eren feel more tired than usual.

Levi comes back downstairs, barefooted with his uniform slacks rolled up to mid-calf, and Eren wonders how he's not cold with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, like they always are. His tie is gone and the dark blue sweater usually tied around his waist is draped over his shoulders.

"So did you get a single word that Mrs. Gaertner said today?" he asks, sitting down across from Eren, who shakes his head. "Okay, that's fine. We'll just start from the beginning." The dark-haired boy looks tired as well, despite that.

For the next hour, Levi explains the differentiation and integration of functions involving multiple variables, rather than just one to Eren, who listens attentively. The younger boy elaborates the concepts in a way that a thirteen-year-old could understand. It sounds insulting, but it's actually very constructive in Eren's learning of advanced calculus.

There's a bit of struggling and re-explaining going on, but Levi shows how surprising patient he is. And Eren is very grateful for that.

"Done!" the brunette says in triumph, leaning back into his chair. They're done with homework, he actually gets what the heck he was doing, and all the equations and numbers and letters finally make sense!

"Feel better now?" Levi asks with an amused smile.

"A lot better. You have no idea." Eren gets an embarrassed look on his face. "Thanks a bunch. Now I'll finally be able to understand what's going on in class."

"Glad I could help." The dark-haired boy smiles. The brunette sees Levi hesitate. "Would you like to continue studying together? I don't mind, and I'm usually not too busy after school."

"Ah, sure! That would be nice. Besides, I feel like you'd probably teach me more in a week than Mrs. Gaertner did in three months." Levi gives a soft laugh, before nodding. Eren feels a smile unconsciously make its way across his lips.

"It's a plan, then."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Wow, look at all that wonderful feedback ｡ﾟ✶****ฺ****.ヽ****(*´∀`*)ﾉ****.✶ฺ****ﾟ｡ ****Thank you all so much for it, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!**

**Another "little" thing I don't regret doing to Levi in this story: making him shorter than his usual 160 centimeters. I figure since he's fifteen, and 160 centimeters is his height as an adult, I should make him shorter. Boys tend to grow in early to late high school, early college. **

**Oh, Levi, how I love to mess with you. And how I love you so. Haha ｡ﾟ****(Tヮ****T)ﾟ｡ ****- Makoto**

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><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

Levi sneezes, covering his nose and mouth with his elbow.

"Bless you," his best friend replies.

"Excuse me," the dark-haired boy says, sniffling slightly.

It's cold outside, but he has a strong immune system, so he doesn't bother rolling down his sleeves or putting on his sweater. Besides, the dark-haired boy enjoys the cool air and relishes it before the hot summer comes, even if its arrival is several months away.

"Aw, that was _so_ cute!" Hanji squeals, referring to his best friend's sneeze. Levi sounds like a tiny mouse.

The dark-haired boy gives Hanji a look, pushing his glasses up. "I'm going to kill you."

"With adorableness!" The brunette grins and glomps Levi, who feels like a fireplace. "You're _soooo_ warm!"

"That's one of the many perks of being one-hundred-fifty-six centimeters tall." Hanji holds the other boy closer with a contented sigh.

"Ah, well, I'll be staying like this until you need to go home with Mikasa."

"Suit yourself," Levi says, placing an elbow on one of his raised knees, long used to the brunette's antics. He leans his chin on his palm, relaxing.

Both boys sit in peaceful silence, Levi starting to zone out and Hanji soaking up his body warmth. The pounding footsteps of the track team passes by, Mikasa being one of the many people running their first of three miles. The lacrosse team plays on the huge field just behind the running track.

The air is humid, indicating that it may rain soon. Gray clouds cover every inch of blue sky, and the sunlight is very dull, if not barely there.

Hanji breathes in the thick air, smelling the distinct scent of rain, while catching the fruity fragrance of Levi's shampoo as well. The brunette enjoys as the two aromas mix to create a unique and calming scent, sweet candy apple a bit stronger than musky rain.

The taller boy still stays attentive to his surroundings and watches the lacrosse game happen on the field. He spots a lithe and graceful figure seemingly dancing around his teammates, who are acting as the opposing team.

"Would you look at that," Hanji remarks in awe, breaking Levi out of his daydreams.

"Hm?" he asks, still dazed. "What's up?"

"Who's that dude?" The chocolate-haired boy points to the figure still maneuvering around people, all who are a bit taller than himself.

Levi blinks, looking a little closer as the boy on the field smoothly sidesteps an opposing teammate before spinning, tossing the ball into the goal at record speed.

The goalie barely has time to react.

Levi squints, catching 'Jaeger' on the back of the boy's jersey. It's a challenge to see any facial features from underneath the helmets that all lacrosse players are required to wear.

"You mean, Eren? He's in our chem class, Hanji," the dark-haired boy says, looking up at the brunette.

"Oh, that's true! Eren Jaeger, right?"

"You have a horrible memory."

"I'm hurt." Hanji places a hand over his heart, mocking said emotion. "Besides, that's not it. Of course I remember him, it's just that he looks so different on the field, you know?"

Levi looks out to the field, where Marco and the other members of the lacrosse team gather 'round and slap Eren on the back for his outstanding performance. Now, the gray-eyed boy can see all of them clearly because of the lack of helmets.

"I see what you mean," Levi agrees. Hanji beams in response.

"I haven't really got the time to talk to him, but from what I observe, Eren is an interesting character, isn't he? Doesn't he seem...like the perfect guy?"

"'Perfect'?" Levi questions.

"Mm-hm!" Hanji nods quickly, his ponytail bouncing. "I feel like there's something more to him."

Levi gives the brunette a curious look, blinking, before turning back to see the track team come around again.

He stays silent, not really knowing how to react to that. Especially when it's about someone he barely knows.

* * *

><p>"So how did the study session go?" Armin asks as he and Eren walk over to the brunette's house. The boys plan to study and play around, as Armin will be staying the night because his uncle is out of town on a business trip.<p>

"You were right. Levi was really patient with me. And my calculus-challenged brain."

"See? What did I tell you? Hanji and Mikasa are very important factors in his life."

"Mikasa? That's harsh."

"You know it's true. Besides, haven't you seen the occasional bruise on his cheek or arm?"

"No...well, I don't pay attention to detail, okay? You make it sound like she's bullying him."

"That's her job as an older sister."

"To push around her little brother? Ouch. What's up with you today, Armin?"

"I'm just being my usual snarky self," the blonde says, grinning. Eren laughs.

"True story."

Both boys reach Eren's peaceful household, where the brunette fishes his house key from around his neck, opening the door and holding it for Armin, who thanks him.

"My nose is running from the major temperature difference," Armin sniffles, taking off his shoes with Eren following suit.

"Well, can your nose slow to a walk until I get Kleenex?" the brunette asks, walking up the small amount of steps into the main part of the house.

The house is empty as his dad is at work and his mom is probably out grocery shopping. She should be home soon.

"It'll try."

Eren laughs, quickly walking to the closest bathroom to find a box of life-saving Kleenex that'll heal Armin from his temperature-confused nose. The brunette grabs the the box from the bathroom counter, hurrying back to his blonde friend.

"Here, for your walking nose." He hands Armin, who sits at his desk, the Kleenex.

Taking the box gratefully, the blue-eyed boy blows his nose. Now that Armin's troublesome nose has been taken care of, Eren takes off his socks, tossing them into the hamper next to his desk. He goes over to his bed, slowly and painfully lying down on his stomach.

"Ow," Eren says calmly, wincing as he takes off his blazer. At the base of his bed, a wooden chest sits, and that's where he places his outerwear.

"Did you get that banged up in lacrosse practice?" Armin asks, sniffling and tossing a tissue into the wastebasket near the leg of Eren's desk.

"_Arrrrrmiiiin_," the brunette whines, "They hurt me so much! I got whacked with a lacrosse stick on my back, then somebody tripped me and I got a face full of dirt, and then people started slapping my back, where I got whacked."

Armin snickers. "Oh, I saw that faceplant. I wish I caught it on camera." The brunette has a bump forming on his forehead, but it's not too obvious. Yet.

"Meanie." Eren sticks out his tongue childishly, moving his arms to fold underneath his chin.

"I'm just kidding, you know that! I was worried that you might've broke something."

The brunette smiles, watching Armin's features turn concerned. He's always worrying about Eren's well-being, and it touches the green-eyed boy deeply.

"Nah, I'm fine. It's just that several large bruises and bumps will pop up tomorrow."

"You'll survive. Now," Armin rummages through his messenger bag, "we had chemistry homework, right?"

"Yup." Eren reaches for his own bag, pulling it over to himself and poking around for his chemistry binder.

"It was a worksheet on what elements can bond together to make real compounds," he says, unclipping binder rings and taking out the piece of paper assigned as homework.

"Right. I'm on…" Armin rolls over to Eren's side on the brunette's desk chair, "number six."

"I'm on seven."

"Alright, then I'll finish up one more problem…"

* * *

><p>"What are you working on?" Mikasa asks her younger brother, who sits at the dining table scribbling down something on paper, while chewing on something crunchy from the bowl next to himself. She leans over his shoulder, watching as he easily writes down answers.<p>

"Chem homework," the petite boy replies, swallowing whatever he was eating.

Corn chips.

Mikasa knows that Levi gets the major case of the munchies whenever he does thought-provoking homework. She figures he must have an extremely high metabolism since he never seems to get fat, and he doesn't do any sports or exercises besides the ones required in P.E.

"Fun," she says, walking into the kitchen.

Levi rolls his eyes at his sister's expertly "covered" sarcasm, going back to writing down formulas and snacking salty chips.

He thinks about the next calculus study session with Eren, and what they've been learning for the past two days. It's actually difficult for Levi to come up with explanations that the brunette might understand, so he plans beforehand. At their first study session, he surprised himself by whipping up all those easily understood explanations and was even more surprised to see Eren's bright, comprehending eyes.

Tomorrow is Saturday, so the dark-haired boy won't need to worry about teaching Eren new material until Monday, when Mrs. Gaertner will most likely dump fourteen pages of homework on them. No exaggerating. She's a nice teacher, but an unreasonable one.

He sighs, finishing up the last formula and reaching over to grab his binder, unclipping the rings and putting the piece of homework in its rightful place.

Besides the occasional clinking of silverware and ceramic from the kitchen, courtesy of Mikasa putting dishes away, Levi can hear the steady beat of rain on the roof.

The dark-haired boy takes out his calculus notes and homework from his bag, on the chair next to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! This is just a small update (sorry if you are disappointed), and it includes how I think Sunday mornings would go for Eren and Levi with their families （ ´∀｀） - Makoto**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

It's Sunday morning when Levi looks out the window of the kitchen, watching as raindrops fall from the sky at a steady rate. He likes the cold and rainy weather, especially after long, hot, and dry summers.

Blowing a lock of dark hair out of his eyes and pushing up his glasses, he reaches above on his tippy-toes to reach for a pan in the cupboard. He brings it down, closing the cabinet doors and placing the pot on the stove.

Levi knows that Mikasa loves pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon, but she doesn't get to eat it often as she usually wakes up late and only has time to grab something small, like a granola bar.

Yeah, sure, Levi and Mikasa fight and bicker and aren't exactly the best of friends, but they respect each other to some degree. To the degree where Levi will make Mikasa her favorite breakfast foods, just to make her day even a little bit better.

He hums slightly to himself, going to the refrigerator to get everything he'll need to make breakfast.

Mikasa should be up in half an hour, so that'll be enough time to get the pancakes and eggs ready…

* * *

><p>"Have you noticed that breakfast is technically 'break fast'?" Eren asks his Einstein question to Armin, who is Einstein himself. The brunette takes a bite of oatmeal with copious amounts of brown sugar floating around.<p>

"Yeah, that's ironic, isn't it?" the blonde says, picking up his piece of whole wheat toast, the butter taking its time to melt. "They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but you don't have a decent meal unless you wake up at five in the morning. Everyday."

Eren glances at the oven clock. 5:34.

"True story." Armin nods at the brunette's response, taking a bite of toast.

"Well," he chews and swallows, "I think it's called breakfast because you just grab it and...'break fast'."

"Oh, good point!" Eren laughs.

"Good morning, my boys!" The brunette's mother enters the kitchen, giving both Armin and Eren kisses on the cheek.

"Good morning, Ms. Carla."

"'Morning, Mama."

Eren's mom smiles brightly. "I take it you two had a good night's sleep?"

"Oh, yes. We are conscious enough to perceive the meaning of 'breakfast'," Eren replies with a grin. Armin laughs.

"Ah, of course! How the most important meal of the day cuts into your sleep?" she remarks, playing along with her son and his friend, going over to the cupboard to grab a bowl.

"That leaves the question: is sleep or breakfast more important?" Armin declares, taking a bite of whole wheat.

Eren takes a spoonful of hot oatmeal and swallows it. "Sleep is more important because you can just run off food, and I am not about to start dozing off in class, thank you very much."

"That's true," his blonde friend agrees.

"Once you hit the sack, you sleep like a log, dear," Eren's mom teases him.

"Yeah. You didn't move _at all _last night," Armin snickers. "This morning, I was debating whether I should've poked you to make sure you were alive."

"Gee, thanks, Armin," Eren says. Then he lets out a sneeze, covering his nose and mouth, of course.

Oh, Eren absolutely hates when people don't cover their mouths when they sneeze. It's nasty and unsanitary and other people can get sick, and it's just...ugh.

"Ow," he says calmly, wincing and rubbing his throat. It's a reminder of the sore throat he was sporting yesterday.

"Here, sweetheart." His mother offers him medicine in cough-drop form.

"Thanks, Mama." Eren takes the medicine gratefully. "My suffering will shorten by a week."

"You haven't gotten sick in a while, Eren," Armin remarks. "The last time you did, it was last summer, right? And it lasted for two weeks."

"That's why I don't like getting sick, even if it's just a cold." The brunette unwraps and pops the medicine into his mouth, while his mom rubs his back in a comforting manner.

"Drink lots of fluids, stay bundled up, go to sleep early, and it'll be shortened even more, okay?"

"Okay."

She smiles sympathetically, hugging Eren tightly. With a last back rub, she goes to grab herself some oatmeal.

Armin grins. "Don't want to get Levi sick, do you?"

"Oh, true."

Eren has a calculus session with the younger boy tomorrow, which is Monday. "I'll just tell him that I don't want to get him or Mikasa sick."

* * *

><p>Levi feels the back of his neck heat up for some reason. He whips around from scrambling eggs and reading a book, but no one is in sight. With hesitation and one last suspicious look, he slowly turns around, going back to his multitasking.<p>

He still stays alert as he flips the page of his book with one hand, while scrambling the eggs with the other.

Just as Levi suspects, a pair of strong hands wrap around his waist, lifting him up and spinning him around.

"Good morning, my sweet!" Johnathon Ackerman greets his son cheerfully with a kiss on the cheek.

"Dad!" Levi complains, quickly grabbing onto the man's shoulders.

The gesture is fun, and the dark-haired boy doesn't mind it, but it's something you'd usually do with your daughter. And apparently Mikasa weighs a little more than Dad had anticipated. She's also just an inch shorter than him, whilst Levi probably weighs two times less and is half a foot shorter than Dad.

The blonde man laughs, but still holds Levi up high by his waist. "I'm sorry. I just haven't seen you in a while, Levi."

"I know, I'm just kidding," the dark-haired boy says, massaging his dad's probably aching shoulders.

Honey-brown eyes, much like Levi's, sparkle with mirth. "A little birdie told me you're tutoring Eren in calculus?"

Mikasa could be such a snitch, and you don't even have to tell her anything.

"Yes. Why?"

"Just confirming."

Levi hugs his dad. "Now could you please put me down? Mikasa won't be happy to have burnt eggs for breakfast."

"Alright, alright." With that, the blonde man gently places the petite boy down.

Levi quickly turns around, turning off the stove and lifting up the pan of eggs, dumping it onto a plate on the side counter.

"Smells delicious," his dad says, walking over to the cupboard to grab plates.

"Let's hope it tastes delicious."

As Levi goes over to the fridge to find bacon, he wonders why Mikasa would bother telling their dad about his and Eren's study session. He doesn't really feel like pondering about it. Besides, he knows that she has a bit of a crush on the brunette.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! So I'm sick, and I thought I'd torture Eren as well by making him suffer with me ∪･ω･∪ Nah, actually, I figure since it's winter and it's freezing that someone should at least have a cold. It's only human nature （ ´∀｀） (i'mkindofpo'edrightnowifyoucouldn'ttell) - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

Eren sighs, letting out an puffy white air cloud.

Armin gives him a sympathetic look. "So you're sick?"

"Yeah." Eren's voice is an octave higher than it should be because of his ticklish throat.

"Are you just going to relax after school? No calculus lesson?"

"Nah. I highly doubt Levi and Mikasa and their parents would want to get sick."

"We're being considerate today."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Armin laughs. "It means what it means." Eren sticks his tongue out at the blonde.

* * *

><p>Eren walks down the main hallway of the school, going to the cafeteria, when he spots Levi walking the opposite way, holding books to his chest.<p>

"Hey―" The brunette suddenly trips, causing him to smash into Levi, sending all the books in his arms scattering across the floor.

"Oof," Levi grunts, on his bottom, holding the shoulder that Eren had slammed into. The turquoise-eyed boy is a lot stronger than he looks.

"Crap, I'm so sorry!" Eren frantically apologizes, kneeling down next the younger boy. He takes Levi's other hand in his own, looking around the surrounding area.

Sure, Eren is clumsy, but not so much as to trip over air. And besides, he felt another ankle strike his own. Purposely.

_Ugh._

Eren narrows his eyes dangerously, seeing the suspect walking down the hallway like nothing had happened, hands in his pockets. Since it's lunchtime, everybody is in the cafeteria, so that means that it's practically a ghost town anywhere else. And the only other person in the hall is Eren's arch enemy A.K.A. the student council president.

_Jean Kirschstein._

The guy is a total jerk. Eh, the brunette will get him back, one way or another.

He turns back to Levi, who massages his sore shoulder, looking up at Eren with curious sky-blue eyes. They have a gentle shape; almond-shaped, turned down lightly at the ends. He looks a lot more like Mikasa than Eren had previously thought.

"Uh, are you okay?" the brunette asks.

Levi shifts slightly, breaking their eye contact. "Mm-hm. Just a bruise."

He releases his shoulder, while Eren lets go of his other hand. Levi's hand is pleasantly warm.

The dark-haired boy goes to pick up his fallen books that have scattered across the tiled floor, and Eren moves to help him. Once the books are safely back in his arms, Levi thanks the brunette with a small smile. It's obvious that he's still in pain. Eren finds himself patting the other boy's head, noticing that Levi reaches just barely above his shoulder.

"So did you want to tell me something?" he asks, either not minding the gesture or ignoring it.

"Oh, right, I'm sick," Eren says, stepping away from Levi. "So I won't be able to attend our usual calculus date."

"Alright. Is that all?"

"...Yeah." The brunette feels like he should say something more.

"Get better soon, okay? It'll be boring not being able to criticize you about math," Levi says with a smile, walking away. Eren watches his back with wide turquoise eyes, then he grins and looks at the ground.

"Oh, I'll get better fast."

* * *

><p>"She has a crush on you, you know," Hanji says to Levi, who reads a book while they sit on the bleachers. The dark-haired boy looks up quickly.<p>

"What was that?" His chocolate-haired friend grabs onto his shoulders, getting all up in Levi's face. Wide turquoise-blue eyes blink, looking into excited chocolate-brown eyes as their glasses touch.

"The captain of the girls' volleyball team! She likes you. Oh, what's her name…"

"Oh, you mean, Petra Ral?" Hanji snaps his fingers, leaning away from the other boy.

"Yeah, her!" Levi makes a face, before closing his book.

"She likes me?"

"Mm-hm."

"Why?" Hanji puts on his "thinking" face.

"Well…" he pinches one of Levi's cheeks, "because you're cute, you're smart, you're quiet, and you are so _not_ Auruo Bossard."

"Can you let go?" Levi mumbles. The grip Hanji has on his cheek is starting to hurt.

"Oh, sorry!" The brunette quickly lets go with an apologetic look as his best friend rubs the rosy milky skin of his cheek. Then Hanji smiles. "Maybe it'll be your chance to be in a relationship."

"With Petra?" Levi looks out to the field. "She's nice and all, but she's not someone that I'd like to date."

"Really? What's your type, then?"

"My type?"

There's a comfortable moment of silence. "I don't have one. Maybe I'm just that person who knows if someone is the 'one'."

"Hey, where's Eren today?" Hanji asks, looking out to the field, where lacrosse players run around, scoring goals.

"He has a cold," Levi replies, opening his book again and starting to read.

"Yeah, he did seem a bit off in chem class," the brunette recalls. "Poor thing! So no calculus session today?"

The dark-haired boy continues to read. "No. I'm not in the mood to get sick, and he was being considerate."

"Aw, how sweet!"

"Shush, you." Levi lands a smack on Hanji's upper arm without looking up from his book.

"Ow," the brunette pouts. "Even though you don't look it, you're pretty strong."

"And that was my bad arm," Levi murmurs.

"Your what?"

"Nothing." Hanji smiles.

"Anyways, next week is your birthday, right?"

Levi looks up from his book to his best friend with surprise. "Oh, that's right. I forgot."

"How could you forget? It's your sweet sixteenth."

"You tend to forget when your birthday lands on a major holiday: Christmas."

"Well, at least you're finally turning sixteen."

"I'm actually supposed to be in tenth grade, but I was too smart," Levi says with a cheeky grin. Hanji laughs.

"No kidding."

This is why Levi likes Hanji. He always knows how to start a conversation, or smoothly transition from one to another. Plus, he's quite funny and actually gives good advice, despite his crazy demeanor. They've been best friends since seventh grade.

"But I'm coming over to your house on your birthday, for sure," Hanji says, hugging Levi.

The dark-haired boy nods. "Sure, besides, it'll probably just be my parents and Mikasa. Unless they tell her that she can bring friends over."

"By 'friends', I'm guessing she'll have Armin and Eren over?"

"I assume so." Then Levi grimaces. "Now I feel kind of bad for Eren. He probably caught something from all these germy kids. It's disgusting. They don't even cover their mouths, it's so unsanitary."

One thing about the dark-haired boy that isn't too obvious at school, is that he's a total clean and neat freak. The only reason why the Ackermans' house is so pristine and tidy is because of Levi.

"Hey," Hanji gets that sparkle in his eyes, "since he's your 'student', why don't you do something nice for him?"

"My 'student'? Dude, I'm almost a year younger than him," Levi says, ever the practical one. That, and he doesn't really like or understand what the brunette is getting at here.

"That's not the point," Hanji says, hugging his best friend tighter.

"Then what's the point?"

The brunette stays silent for a moment before saying, "Never mind."

Levi rests his head against Hanji's shoulder. "Maybe I will."

"What?"

"Nothing."

* * *

><p>Eren feels like he just got run over by a bus, then thrown into a blender, put back together, then sliced to pieces with a katana.<p>

So, basically, he feels horrible on this rather cloudy Tuesday morning. Two days after he had discovered his cold.

"I think you should stay home today, son," Grisha Jaeger says, leaning over his chocolate-haired boy, who lies in bed with a sore and swollen throat and a headache and many other ailments. "I'll go make you some honey-lemon tea for your throat, okay?"

Eren nods, unable to talk because of his scratchy throat. His dad gives him a sympathetic look, before running a cool and affectionate hand through his messy bedhead and pressing the back of his hand to a flushed cheek. It feels wonderful, considering Eren's burning hot face.

His dad exits his room, leaving Eren to worry about how much work he's going to miss. Hopefully, Armin and Levi will help him out with that.

He feels bad for ditching Levi, in all honesty. The dark-haired boy probably puts a lot of effort into teaching Eren the material in an easier manner. Yet here he is in bed...

Eren sighs, only to cough because of the layer of mucus covering his airway. Soft chocolate locks are scattered all over his forehead and fall into his eyes, in so much disarray that his usual middle part is no where to be seen. With a huff, Eren pushes all his hair to the side, not caring if he looks weird with a side part.

The brunette's dad comes back with a steaming mug in his hands. "Can you sit up, son?"

"Yeah..." Eren slowly sits up, as not to make his headache worse. His dad takes a seat on the chair next to his bed, making sure that the turquoise-eyed boy has a steady grip on the mug, before letting go.

"Thanks, Dad." His father rubs his back comfortingly as he takes a sip of the soothing drink. It slides down smoothly and numbs the pain in Eren's throat.

The brunette's dad is usually at work, but today is one of the rare days that the busy doctor has off.

"So how are your study dates with Levi?"

"He's helped me out a bunch," Eren says, taking another sip. His father smiles.

"Is that so?"

The brunette nods.

"His and Mikasa's mom say that he enjoys those sessions."

Eren smiles. "I do, too. He's different from Mikasa and Armin, you know?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys! Whoa, thank you all so much for the positive feedback! ヽ(；▽；)ノ I feel great about this story, and am very happy with outcome. - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

Levi chews on his bottom lip, pouring a small amount of clear liquid―sodium bisulfate―into a test tube.

He's in AP Chemistry right now with Hanji as his partner, on this fine and cloudy late Wednesday morning.

The other boy pours another clear fluid―mercury chloride―into the the test tube, as well. To finish off the mixture, Levi adds in potassium iodate, and both boys take a quick step back.

Instantaneously, the concoction turns a dark orange-red color, continuing to rapidly turn a shade of red, then suddenly, pitch-black.

"Whoa! Awesome," Hanji cheers as he and Levi high-five. "Mr. Bach has us do pretty cool experiments, huh."

Mr. Bach is their AP Chemistry teacher. A kind, young man with tousled dirty blonde locks and wide crystal-blue eyes, he's quite popular with the young ladies of Shiganshina High.

Hanji leans in close to Levi. "Too bad the girls don't know he has a boyfriend. I heard that they're going to get married soon."

The dark-haired boy gives the other a weird look. "Okay...?"

It amazes him at how good Hanji is at reading minds. Levi has learned not to ask.

The brunette looks around the classroom. "I guess Eren is really sick, huh? He's already missed yesterday, and now today, too?"

Levi opens his mouth, about to say something―

_CRASH!_

Hanji and Levi immediately dive away from their table, opposite ways, barely avoiding getting cut with razor-sharp pieces of shattered test tube glass.

Loud, high-pitched shrieks and surprised gasps resound throughout the room.

"Don't move from that spot, girls," they hear Mr. Bach say sternly to the pair of girls, who are working in front of them.

Hanji gives Levi a firm look from behind table legs and human legs. It's obvious that the two boys on the floor aren't too awfully happy about almost getting sliced into a million pieces by shards of glass.

"Boys, are you okay?" Mr. Bach asks, helping the girls clean up all the glass on the floor, giving him a good view of the unamused boys.

"Yes, we're fine," Hanji says, making a move to get up off the tiled floor.

Levi winces at the newly-forming bruises on one of his elbows and both of his knees, as he pushes himself off of the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me," the dark-haired boy says. "And the bruises I had on my knees were just starting to fade away, too."

Levi may not look like it, but he's a klutz when it comes to chairs and table legs and table tops. Even he wonders how there are still many un-popped blood cells in his knees.

Hanji glances over at the girls in front of them. "I bet they did that on purpose."

The other boy grimaces at that. "About your earlier comment. Too bad, indeed."

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling today, sweetie?"<p>

Eren actually feels slightly better than yesterday. He had rested in bed all day, only getting up to get water and grabbing his homework to keep him occupied.

"A bit better. Thanks for asking, Mama," the brunette croaks to his concerned mother. Although his voice still sounds like a frog because of his still-raw throat.

She smiles, relieved. "That's great, sweetheart. Just keep resting up, okay?"

"Okay." The chocolate-haired woman caresses Eren's cheek before standing up and exiting his room to let her son have some well-needed rest.

The brunette sighs, relaxing every muscle in his body and nestling under the comforting warmth of his blankets.

For some reason, he remembers it as the same type of warmth that came from just holding onto Levi's hand. It had almost made Eren not want to let go, just as how he doesn't want to climb out of bed to be greeted with freezing cold air.

* * *

><p>The dark-haired boy feels his eyes being attracted to the only empty desk in AP Calculus, the last period of his day. Everybody would think you're either insane or Carl Friedrich Gauss to miss out on calculus class for even a single day.<p>

Levi thinks that Eren is a little bit of both. Oh, well, he took notes for the brunette and has his homework and all, so the older boy really doesn't need to worry.

He's seen sick people be absent for the whole day, and then come to school just for math class, which is absolutely useless because you're too busy focusing on how horrible you feel.

He taps his pencil against his lips, listening to Mrs. Gaertner's lesson drone on and on.

And finally, the bell rings, signalling the end of the school day. You can literally hear the gears in everybody's head turning a mile a minute after that lesson.

Levi grabs his messenger bag, slinging it over his shoulder with an exhale.

As he walks out of the school, pulling his scarf around his neck, he debates whether he should take the homework to Eren, or if he should just wait 'til the older boy comes back to school…

* * *

><p>"Mind as well make him feel better sooner, while I'm at it…" Levi murmurs, placing his bag at the side of the couch.<p>

He goes into the kitchen to make his famous chicken soup, that his family claims makes them feel better when they have colds or fevers. Even Mikasa admits so. So why not try it on Eren?

Then he figures he should change into more comfortable clothes since he's going to take a little while.

Levi makes his way upstairs, enjoying the peace and quiet of the house. It's usually filled with the bickering of him and Mikasa, and their parents trying to calm them down.

He steps into his room, closing the door behind himself before going to change.

The dark-haired boy sighs, taking off his uniform and pulling on jean capris, a white v-neck and a black jacket with white accents on it.

He exits his room and goes downstairs, into the kitchen.

Opening the fridge door, Levi grabs all the ingredients he needs to make his famous chicken soup, placing them on the kitchen island behind himself. Thank goodness their mother, Misako, went grocery shopping recently.

Hopefully, he'll be done and out the door before Mikasa comes home, as he really doesn't feel like explaining to her why he's going out. He may be in high school and in the same grade as her, but she's still the concerned older sister, which he can appreciate and not appreciate at certain times.

Right now, Levi wouldn't appreciate it as he reaches below the stove, into a cabinet to grab a pot.

He turns on the stove and places the pot on top of it.

The total time of cooking should take about half an hour…

Levi pulls back the sleeve of his jacket, reading the digital numbers of his watch. 3:14.

Oh, he definitely has enough time to be out and about, then back home before Mikasa returns.

* * *

><p>The doorbell rings, but Eren still stays in a deep sleep. Just as his mom claims; he sleeps like a log. Like a bear in hibernation. Nothing can wake him up, except for himself or his internal alarm clock. It's kind of scary, really.<p>

He sleeps on his side, facing the wall. The comforter is under his arm, so that he doesn't overheat underneath all his blankets.

Voices talk softly outside his door, before it opens a crack, someone silently stepping inside his room and closing the door behind them. They make their way to Eren's bedside.

"Hey…" the person whispers, placing a hand on his upper arm.

Of course, Eren doesn't even know that someone is touching him, much less leaning over him to check to see if he's awake. And possibly breathing.

Once the person sees that the brunette isn't awake, they take their hand off of his arm and place the notebook and papers in their arms onto the nightstand next to the bed.

"Get better soon, 'kay? People in calculus class already think you're insane," the person murmurs to the sleeping Eren, rubbing his upper arm in a comforting manner. They smile softly before standing up, leaving the turquoise-eyed boy to rest.

Just as his bedroom door closes, Eren slowly cracks open his eyes.

Warmth.

He can feel it lingering on his arm. That familiar warmth.

Eren smiles, closing his eyes and relaxing. He can feel his heart beating just a little bit faster than it should be.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! Good god, I love Eren and Levi so much ****(´▽`ʃƪ) You have no idea. They're perfect for each other, in my opinion, and writing Levi as a cute, adorable, fifteen-year-old boy is killing me internally. And Eren, why do you have to be such a stud? Gosh darn it. ****＼(*T▽T*)／ - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"Did you make this, Mama?" Eren asks, breathing in the delicious aroma coming from the bowl of hot chicken soup on his lap. His mom smiles.

"No. Levi did. He said that his family seems to like having his chicken soup during their colds."

The brunette looks up at her with surprise, then glances at his nightstand where a notebook and papers sit neatly.

"Oh, so that wasn't a dream."

"What was that, sweetheart?"

"It's nothing." Eren smiles behind a spoonful of chicken soup. It's delicious. And not just because it's homemade.

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Mikasa calls into the house.<p>

Levi sighs in relief, pulling the blanket around himself tighter and continuing to read his book. His sister peeks her head into his room.

"Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"No. And I like it that way," he replies, pausing his reading to give her a bored glance. She snorts, walking to her own room.

The dark-haired boy shuts his book and places it on his nightstand. He doesn't feel like doing anything right at this moment.

Winter break starts next week, thank goodness. Tomorrow is Thursday, and he figures he'll just leave school and not wait for Mikasa as he usually does. It'll rain during the time she has track and field. And Levi doesn't feel like sitting out in the rain and catching a terrible cold like Eren.

He hears the heater turn on. Soon, the area of his room should be nice and warm. Sure, Levi has an a high body temperature, but only to other people. The blanket around him helps, and absorbs all of his body heat. He is an exothermic being, you could say.

Hopefully, Eren will like the soup.

Levi smiles slightly, thinking about it. It was kind of thrown together at the last minute, but it's the thought that counts, supposedly.

Mikasa might notice the missing thermos, but he really doesn't care at this point in time. What's done is done, and he doesn't regret a thing.

He relaxes all his muscles, staring at his hand.

The sound of the shower goes off, indicating that Mikasa must be, you know, taking a shower.

Levi observes his hand, finally realizing how dry his skin is. You can't really see any dry skin, as it blends in with his fair skin color, but you can definitely feel it. It's rough and has seen better days. It's enough to make any high school girl cringe. The dark-haired boy isn't surprised their faces haven't dried out because of all the make-up they slap on. It makes him cringe to see how hard they try.

He feels his eyelids get heavy, and he's already really tired from all that studying he did for that history test that's coming up soon...

* * *

><p>Eren admits that Levi is a great cook. Or he just makes good soup. Either way, it makes him feel better that the other boy was thinking of him. It makes his face feel a little warm, as well...<p>

No, stop, Eren. You're going to start sounding like a ridiculous high school girl with a crush.

The brunette smiles bitterly at the thought. He's seen Petra Ral, and how she looks at Levi.

He shifts his legs, leaning back into his pillows and staring out the window. The sky is still gray with many clouds.

Petra is a cheerful girl, captain of the volleyball team, and having broken up with this kid named Auruo Bossard (who manages to snag his tongue on his teeth so many times, that Eren wonders if it's sewed into his mouth, at this point in time). They dated since their freshman year, then suddenly broke up earlier this year.

Eren suspects Levi is part of the reason, but unknowingly. It kind of sucks when a popular girl like her has a crush on you, because her friends, or whoever hangs around her, will drop "subtle" hints that their main girl is infatuated with you. The brunette would know.

He scrunches up his face, a weird feeling stirring around inside the pit of his stomach. It makes him want to snap at somebody. Specifically, Petra.

With a tired sigh, he brushes away fluffy chocolate locks that fall into his eyes.

No way is he going to let his aggressive side take over. That actually hasn't happened since the beginning of ninth grade.

Oh, well, he better get some rest, and not get too riled up about anything. He just wants to get better already! Sure, relaxing is nice and all, but Eren is the type of person who will go insane if he stays cooped up in one place for too long.

He'll be going back to school tomorrow.

Ugh, just thinking of all the work makes him shudder, but he pushes it out of his mind so he's able to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Levi wakes up with a start, out of breath. More like his breath is being pushed out forcefully.<p>

He grunts, feeling a heavy weight on his side. He's sleeping on his side, so no wonder the air is being pushed out of his lungs.

A rather muscular arm rests in that slight dip of his waist, weighing him down. The dark-haired boy feels a warm breath spread across the back of his neck.

Right now, he should be freaking out, right? Because this is totally some random creeper who broke into his room and decided, hey, I'm going to sleep with this little boy and―

"Mikasa. Wake. Up," he manages to get out. "You're crushing the living daylights out of me."

Levi knows his sister is a light sleeper, like him, so she'll hear him and will most likely not listen to his words.

His prediction is correct. She shifts ever so slightly, but the weight on his side doesn't improve. At least it doesn't get heavier.

The dark-haired boy gives up, letting out a sigh. What is Mikasa even doing in his bed? Not that he minds, because she provides him warmth.

She exhales, snuggling closer to Levi, pressing her face into his neck.

He sighs again, thinking about how he could escape. He could probably flip Mikasa over onto the floor, but they would probably end up going full-out martial arts in the house, and the last time they did, Levi ended up with this huge ugly bruise-growth thing on his back that hurt for weeks (Hanji, of course, was poking at it because it had looked like something out of a sci-fi movie) from being flipped onto the low Japanese-styled table, and Mikasa got several cuts from a couple shattered plates in the kitchen.

At this moment in time, Levi is too lazy to put up a fight, and he'd much rather enjoy this rare, peaceful moment with his sister.

"You're going to turn sixteen soon…" Mikasa suddenly murmurs in his soft, apple-scented hair. The dark-haired boy hums in response.

"Yeah. And you better not get sappy about it."

"I won't," she says, sounding sleepy.

Track meet must've been intense today. When Mikasa had peeked her head into his room earlier, her face was flushed and she looked out of breath. And now she's sacked out next to him.

"Just go back to sleep, you need it," Levi says softly, patting her hand that rests against his stomach.

Mikasa exhales again, and her breathing evens out, indicating that she's resting again. With a small grunt, Levi reaches over to his nightstand and grabs his book, bringing it over to himself.

Well, hopefully Eren will be at school tomorrow, because that means he feels at least a tiny bit better. The dark-haired boy probably has to catch him up on chemistry and calculus homework. Eren is a smart boy, so he'll be able to get back on his feet quickly, so Levi isn't too worried about him.

He suddenly wonders if Mikasa will ever make a move on the brunette soon. They seem to be in a close relationship already, so why not? Or maybe she's gotten over Eren. Since freshman year, Levi remembers her taking a liking to the turquoise-eyed boy. Could she hold onto that for two years straight? Mikasa probably could, but, for some reason, it makes him feel a bit relieved at the possibility she could have outgrew her crush.

Levi sighs, once again, shifting so that he can actually read in a comfortable position.

Tomorrow brings many possibilities.

* * *

><p>On this cold and cloudy Thursday morning, Eren's throat hurts like heck, and he can barely talk, but he feels much better.<p>

"Wow, you're a trooper," Armin remarks. "I probably would've wallowed in my self-pity and germs until the week ended."

Eren laughs softly, before grimacing and rubbing his throat. "Ow."

"What?" the blonde asks worriedly.

"I can't laugh without my throat hurting."

"Oh, sucks."

"You sound so sympathetic."

"Glad to see you're back," Mikasa says, coming up to her two best friends.

"Ugh, I can just see all the piles of work," he croaks out dramatically, running a hand through tousled chocolate locks.

Mikasa looks to the side. "I wouldn't worry about that. My brother will help you out."

Eren feels the back of his neck heat up at the mention of her younger brother. "He doesn't mind?"

Levi has already done so much for him, and he feels a bit guilty.

"I assume not, since he's the one who offered."

"Well, I guess I'll talk to him after chem class," the brunette says, shifting the strap of his messenger bag.

"Good luck," Armin says.

"I won't need it." Eren smiles cheekily with a wink.

* * *

><p>"You look really pale," is the first thing that Levi says, upon their meeting in the hallway between the transition of classes. It's after their chemistry class; Eren has history next and Levi has English, and both classes are pretty close to the previous.<p>

"Thank you for noticing my new foundation." The brunette pretends to flip his hair over his shoulder and bats his eyelashes with a hand on his hip.

Eren's usually tanned complexion has taken on a rather ghostly shade of white. It's what happens when he has a cold.

Levi laughs, and the brunette thinks that it's the cutest sound he's ever heard. Eren smiles goofily at the dark-haired boy's adorable expression.

"You're welcome," the dark-haired boy says, patting the older's shoulder. "Anyways, you came by because of work, right?"

"Can you read minds?"

"It rubbed off from Hanji." Levi smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling in an incredibly endearing way. His sky-blue eyes look so kind and warm, and Eren finds himself staring.

"So...my house?" the younger boy asks.

"Sure."

"Alright, sounds good. I'll see in calculus." And with that, the petite boy walks off his English class.

Eren snaps out of his trance and shoves his hands in his pockets, a soft smile present on his handsome features.

"So...this is what love must feel like, huh."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys! Eren and Levi are killing me, man ٩(⸝⸝⸝◕ั ௰ ◕ั⸝⸝⸝ )و**

**For one of my reviewers, A Guest, I will think about writing sick!Levi. I might have no choice, after the events that happen in this chapter...** **"ψ(｀∇´)ψ Either way, it'll be a choice with no regrets. - Makoto  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"It's freezing out here," Eren complains (more like croaks), wrapping his scarf around his neck as he and Levi exit the school.

"Really? I think it feels nice."

"Says the guy who's only wearing a thin sweater. How do you do that?"

"How do I do what?" Levi asks, blowing a piece of hair out of his eye. "You're just someone who's sensitive to the cold."

"Yeah, sure, I am, but no one is wearing anything lighter than a heavy coat."

"I have extremely thick skin."

"Oh, that explains everything," Eren says with a raised eyebrow, shifting the strap sitting on his shoulder.

Levi gives him an amused look. "Did you talk to your lacrosse coach?"

"That's the first thing I did this morning."

"Good."

After that, both boys walk in peaceful silence to Levi and Mikasa's house.

Eren watches as the dark-haired boy adjusts his glasses and brushes thick ebony locks behind his ear. He starts to wonder how Levi's hair would feel beneath his fingertips. And the brunette isn't quite sure, but when the wind picks up, he catches a whiff of sweet candy apple.

Good god, this boy is going to be the death of him.

* * *

><p>Levi feels comfortable, yet nervous, to say the least. Usually the brunette is talking about this and complaining about that, but he's rather quiet today.<p>

And it really doesn't help with his situation revolving around his newly-found crush, A.K.A. Eren, the guy who's walking right next to him. Is it a coincidence that the brunette is suddenly silent when Levi finds out that he likes him more than a friend? Is it that obvious?

The dark-haired boy starts playing with his fingers, something he hasn't done since his freshman year. It used to be a habit when he was anxious.

"We're here," he says, stopping in front of his and Mikasa's house. Eren suddenly looks at Levi as if he were snapped out of a trance.

"Oh, good, I was starting to freeze my buns off out here," the brunette jokes as they walk up the stairs to the front door.

Levi smiles, taking off his key from a small chain on his bag strap. "Well, we're about to walk into an oven because the heater goes off at least twenty times while everybody is out."

His prediction is correct. Both him and Eren get blasted with hot air as they walk inside, which makes Levi's nose start to run.

"Ugh, I'm going to blow my nose. You can get all your stuff out." He sniffles, placing his bag next to the low table, where he and Eren usually study.

The brunette sits down on his bottom with a sigh, trying not to be intimidated by all the work that he takes out of his bag. There's a couple chemistry papers and a bunch of notes he needs to copy, and a mountain of calculus problems he needs to finish.

_Ugh._

Well, at least that's all that's left to do. Eren got history notes from Marco and they didn't have too much homework, so he was able to finish that...and there were a few Spanish papers that Connie Springer, another one of his lacrosse buddies, helped him out with. Then English notes were a terror (thank goodness Sasha Blouse, a good friend of his, had pulled through), but the homework was practically nonexistent, so that's done.

Now is chemistry and calculus with Levi. Eren admits that calculus is a lot more bearable now that the younger boy is helping him.

Speaking of being younger, the brunette realizes the Levi's birthday is next week already. Christmas Day, if he remembers correctly. Last year, he and Armin came over to keep Mikasa company on her brother's birthday, and he feels glad that he is able to recall the exact date.

Levi comes back from where ever he disappeared to (the bathroom to cure his runny nose), and sits down across from Eren.

"Sorry. Let's start with Mt. Chemistry," he says, pulling out a binder that's already brimming with papers, when half the year isn't even over yet. Eren pushes aside his neat pile of calculus papers and brings chemistry assignments in front of himself.

"Right. This looks formidable, but I think we can climb it." The brunette smiles and Levi rolls his eyes lightheartedly.

"I'm confident we can climb it. I'll help you, that's what I'm here for."

God, that smile again. Eren definitely feels himself get pulled into those kind sky-blue eyes hidden behind glasses. Or are they stormy-gray? All he knows is that they're making him feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Levi Ackerman is now officially his death warrant.

"Thanks." Eren grins. The dark-haired boy nods, and the brunette sees that there's a pretty rosy color covering the boy's fair cheeks.

Hoo, boy. This is going to be a _looooong _study session.

Levi goes on to explaining what they had did when he was gone, including the two girls who blew up a beaker, to which Eren rolls his eyes at. Both boys work on the worksheets that the turquoise-eyed boy needs to make up, and that goes smoothly, to say the least. Notes are copied from Levi's binder, Eren complimenting him on his neat handwriting.

"It takes practice," the dark-haired boy says, shrugging. "To write as quickly as possible, but neatly as well."

"No kidding." Eren's handwriting is legible, but it could be more organized. The main thing is that he has a quick hand to follow the teacher's words, because they talk way too fast.

Once chemistry assignments are done and over with, Levi takes out his dreaded calculus binder.

"God, no," Eren complains with a groan.

"Stop being such a drama queen," the younger boy says, placing his binder on the table and poking the brunette's hand with his pencil eraser. "The sooner we get through, the sooner we'll be done."

"Okay, fine." Then Eren realizes something. "What happened to your mechanical pencil?"

Levi purses his lips, reaching into his bag and pulling out this discombobulated, half-melted object.

"This is what happens when people are stupid."

"What happened?" Eren leans forward, taking a closer look at the...thing. He can't even call it a pencil, anymore.

"Boys across from us found it on the floor before I could get to it, and put it the concoction we were making, just to see if it could actually melt something. It had acid in it, and they wanted to see if it 'worked'," Levi explains, obviously not pleased. "It worked, I saw and claimed the pencil whilst it was in this state, and let's say they'll never ever pick up anything off the floor and do something so reckless ever again."

Eren smiles at the other's unamused expression. He would laugh, but his throat would scream bloody murder at him. "Well, remind me not to get on your bad side. Did they apologize?"

"No, because one of those guys was Auruo Bossard. I still scared the living daylights out of him, though, and I think that's a good enough apology." Levi shrugs, standing up from his seat. "I'm gonna toss this thing. Thanks for reminding me about it. I would've thrown it away earlier in chem class, but I didn't feel like it."

"No problem."

When the dark-haired boy comes back, Eren already has his previously neat pile of calculus assignments spread out in front of him. Levi sits down, and the brunette notices that a lock of dark hair is out of place.

"Wait." Eren reaches over and Levi stays still, watching his hand carefully. Even with the back of his finger, Eren can feel that Levi's hair is incredibly soft and silky. Wasn't he just wondering how it would feel an hour before?

"Thanks," Levi says quietly.

"Yeah." Eren gives a quick smile. "Anyways, I need to conquer Mt. Calculus, now."

"She assigned us ten pages while you were gone," the dark-haired boy says. "Coincidence?"

"I think not," Eren replies dryly. "I just wanna get it done."

Levi opens his binder with raised eyebrows. "Okay, okay."

"Sorry."

"I don't blame you. Anyways…"

Eren is pretty sure that some celestial being has sent Levi to guide him through calculus. Seriously, though, the boy makes it so simple and they're able to go through all one-hundred-forty-seven problems with only a couple misunderstandings. Then there are notes, which are done quickly thanks to Eren's speedy hand.

Levi suddenly leans forward, observing something on Eren's face. He uses his thumb to smooth over the crease forming between the brunette's eyebrows.

"You get a crease between your eyebrows when you think too hard," Levi mentions, leaning back, but Eren grabs his upper arm before he can sit down.

Sky-blue eyes look at the brunette curiously. And they seem to be getting closer. Eren can feel Levi's warm breath ghost against his lips, and now that he's close enough, he can smell the faint but sweet scent of apples coming from the smaller boy.

Their lips are about two centimeters away, and Levi isn't stopping him. Eren wonders if his lips are as soft as they look… One centimeter―

"I'm home!"

Both boys pull away so fast, it puts lightning to shame. Mikasa walks into the living room, where Eren is going through his papers, and Levi is reading his book.

"Hey, Sis," the dark-haired boy greets, glancing up to acknowledge her presence.

"Yo," she greets back, continuing her trek upstairs.

Eren exhales when she's out of sight.

"I...think I'll be going," he says quietly. Levi nods, giving him a quick glance.

"Thanks for helping me." The brunette gathers his things and stands up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Hey, Levi, I'd like to do that again," Eren says, before leaving the room. Levi hears the front door close, and smiles to himself, feeling warmth climb up into his cheeks.

They hadn't kissed, but to be so close to each other like that...

"Me, too, Eren."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys! It's strange and stupid, really, but I love all of Levi's personalities. He's pretty mellow and laid-back, and he's also kind, but can stand his ground. I think this is Levi's interior. You usually see his tough and gruff exterior, but this is what he actually is. As for Eren, he's matured, but is still a passionate human being. These are just my opinions.**

**My gosh, look at me and my ranting**** ( ´∀｀) Maybe it's because Levi's birthday is tomorrow. - Makoto**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"I bet she'll ask you out to the dance," Hanji says as he and Levi sit on the bleachers.

It's Friday, the day before Winter Break officially starts.

"Is that tonight already?" the dark-haired boy asks. His best friend nods.

"I hope she doesn't," Levi sighs, looking out to the field, where lacrosse players run around. Eren isn't one of them, but he stands to the side, watching all his teammates and giving them encouraging shouts.

"Why not? She's really nice, and plus she's cute."

"Then why don't you go out with her, then?"

"Because I don't like her that way."

"Good to know, I don't either." Levi gives Hanji an unamused look.

The brunette grins, looking at something behind the gray-eyed boy. "Speak of the devil, and she shall come."

"You're kidding," Levi says, already knowing that Petra is approaching them.

"Be sociable."

The dark-haired boy just gives Hanji another displeased look. He's kidding, right? Be sociable, his a―

"Hey, guys." A rather boyish yet feminine voice creeps over them. Petra just has this distinct voice.

Hanji winks, and Levi smiles sweetly (which means a slow and painful torture shall come soon) at him before turning around to greet the strawberry-blonde girl.

"Hello, Petra," the dark-haired boy greets with a half-smile, which probably looks more natural at this point in time. She beams brightly.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the dance with me, Levi."

He feels a rather hard nudge dig into his ribcage, causing him to discreetly shoot his hand out to grab Hanji's wrist as the brunette pulls his arm back.

"Sure…" He has to grit the words out, squeezing Hanji's wrist in a death grip. "I'd love to."

"Great! I'll see you in front of the gymnasium tonight." With that, Petra turns around, walking down the bleachers to her group of friends, who squeal and give her encouraging smiles.

Levi whips around to face Hanji, his stormy eyes narrowing dangerously, his brow furrowing. "What is your problem?"

He laughs, only to choke when the grip gets tighter. "Okay, okay, let go! You're cutting off my blood circulation!"

"Good." The dark-haired boy releases Hanji's abused wrist, and the brunette laughs again, rubbing it.

"You're sure strong for a small person." Levi purses his lips in an upset manner.

"You are seriously asking for it."

"Okay, I'll stop." Hanji's expression turns serious and he raises his hands in surrender.

Sure, he loves poking fun at Levi, but he'll hate himself if he takes it too far. He knows that Levi has an extremely high tolerance level, and going past that isn't cool, when he only deflects your insults with witty and sarcastic remarks. The dark-haired boy could just go and beat the living daylights out of you on the spot, but he decides not to.

That crease between his eyebrows smooths out, and his narrowed eyes widen back to their usual gentle state. "Thank you."

"You look a lot older when you're angry," Hanji comments.

"That's because every time you make me upset, I gain a few metaphorical years," Levi explains dryly. A strong breeze rolls by, tousling his thick dark hair. "Being angry all the time isn't good for your health."

"You're not angry all the time, are you?"

"No. You just push too far sometimes."

"Sorry." And Hanji means it sincerely. Then he gives his best friend a curious look. "By the by, why don't you like Petra?"

"Because I don't," Levi says vaguely.

"Just go out with her. Just this once." Hanji gives him a pleading look. "You never know."

Levi sighs, nodding, even though he does know. He doesn't like her. Especially not after that "almost-kiss" he had shared with Eren, just the previous day. "Yeah, fine. But just this once."

"Thank you!" Hanji pulls the dark-haired boy into a hug. Levi smiles, rolling his eyes.

"The things I do for you."

* * *

><p>Eren decides at this moment in time to look towards the bleachers, just in time to see Petra happily make her way down and to her friends. He feels his fingers twitch in his pants pockets.<p>

He looks over at Levi and Hanji, who seem to be involved in a not-so friendly conversation. The brunette can tell by the way Levi's posture is tensed, and how Hanji is trying to pull away from the shorter boy. Suddenly, the dark-haired boy moves away, but his posture is still stiff. They're talking. Hanji says something, and Levi slowly relaxes.

Eren has a feeling he just caught Levi in an upset state. Even from far away, it looks pretty intense, and, yet again, he reminds himself to not get on the younger's bad side.

Looking at Levi also reminds him of their "almost-kiss". Eren can still smell the sweet scent of candy apples. It's cute that the dark-haired boy has a fruity aroma about him.

"Hey, Jaeger!" Connie and Marco run up to the brunette, who turns his head back towards the field.

"Yo, what's up?"

"Practice is over for today," Marco says with a tired smile.

Eren has no idea how this guy always manages to be in a great mood, and he will forever admire Marco for that. Especially when he's dating Jean.

Seriously..._h__ow?_ Marco is a mortal celestial being, for sure. He's a...freckled Jesus. Yeah.

"Are you going to the dance tonight?" Connie asks the brunette.

"Yeah. It's the only time you get to hang out with everybody, you know?"

"That's true. Winter formal, right?"

"Yes. 'Formal' being the keyword here," Eren points out.

"Won't it get pretty stuffy in there with a suit on?" Marco questions. "Oh, well, at least your friends are there to distract you."

That just makes more evidence towards Eren's point of him being a celestial creature walking and breaking on Earth.

"Okay, well, see you guys tonight," Eren says.

"Definitely," Marco replies.

"Don't forget to bring a hot date, Jaeger." Connie grins with a wink.

"It's an essential," Eren jokes.

Marco and Connie laugh, waving as they walk back to the locker rooms.

Once they're out of earshot, the brunette sighs. Petra already took that small chance of asking out the boy who is the center of his affection, but at least he'll have Mikasa and Armin and his other close friends.

He pushes himself off the gate that separates the field from the track course, and walks through the opening next to where he was standing.

* * *

><p>"You look nice," Levi says, fixing up Mikasa's hair on her request.<p>

She wears a simple, knee-length dark blue dress with a thin, glossy black belt that cinches around her waist. A black button-up cardigan is her outerwear.

Mikasa admits that her little brother is a master at detailed things, such as making hair into a waterfall bun. Which he's doing right now to her long and thick hair. A waterfall braid that leads to a bun at the side of the head.

"Thank you," she says. "You look pretty."

"Gee, thanks," Levi replies dryly around the rubber band in his mouth. She smirks in response.

He doesn't exactly fancy wearing extremely formal clothing (which everybody is probably going to rock tonight), and settled for a rather loose, white button-up shirt, a black vest (that's left unbuttoned), and well-fitting dark (blue) jeans.

Levi's slim fingers weave through Mikasa's thick dark locks with ease, and soon, he's twisting her long locks into a bun. It takes at least a thousand bobby pins to keep her hair together.

"Alright, done." Levi steps back to admire his handiwork. "Looks good."

"Thank you." Mikasa shows her gratitude once again as she stands up from her seat, grabbing her brother's wrist. "Let's get going."

When they reach the front door, Mikasa hands him knee-high combat boots.

"It'll look good, try them on." Levi takes them from her and puts them on, lacing them up.

"Well, I completely threw the 'formal' part out the window," he jokes, standing up from lacing up his boots.

"Who cares? You look great," Mikasa says with a grin.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, look at you!" Eren's mother walks over to him as he descends the stairs. "You look dashing, my dear."<p>

"Thank you, Mother dearest," the brunette says with a charming smile, revealing white teeth and dimples, paired with a wink. She laughs.

Eren wears a sky-blue dress shirt tucked into loose black slacks, a black tie loosened around his neck to reveal a bit of strong tanned collarbone, and a black vest, unbuttoned. His chocolate locks that naturally fall to part in the middle, are swept the the side, but are still tousled as always.

"Here, Dad said you could borrow this for the night," his mom says, handing him a watch. Not like his usual digital watch, but one of those golden ones with the roman numerals. "I know that you like to wear watches, but that digital one just doesn't seem to fit."

Eren pulls back his sleeve to buckles it around his wrist. "Tell Dad thanks." He pulls his sleeve back down, making his way to the front door, his mother following.

"I'm off to Armin's, Mother," he says, leaning down to tie his dress shoes.

"Alright, sweetie. Tell Armin I said hello."

"I will." Eren leans over to give his mother a peck on the cheek. She smiles.

"Have fun, okay? And come home safely."

"Yes, Mama." She suddenly gets this sad look on her face.

"Aw, come here." Eren's mom gives him a big hug. "You're growing up too fast for me, sweetheart."

"I know." The brunette returns the hug, wrapping his arms around his mother. They pull apart and Eren smiles at her.

"Don't worry about me. I have Mikasa and Armin, remember?"

"Yes, dear. Now go have some fun!" She gives Eren a small push towards the front door. He opens the door.

"Bye, Mama." And with that, he shuts it behind himself.

* * *

><p>When the two Ackerman siblings get to the dance, it's apparent that not everybody wanted to wear fancy clothing (like Levi). People are either dressed elaborately and are all made-up, or they're not, and are dressed in semi-formal clothing or just casual.<p>

"I'll see you later," Levi says. Mikasa nods, knowing about his date with Petra.

"Have fun," she says, walking away. He has a snide remark at the tip of his tongue, but holds back.

With a sigh, Levi looks around for Petra, spotting her near the entrance of the gym.

She looks cute in her white knee-length dress and silver ballet flats, while a white headband sits comfortably in her short strawberry-blonde locks.

He wonders if Eren is coming to the dance. Probably. The brunette has many friends he can hang out with.

"Hey, Petra." Levi taps her shoulder, catching her attention. Her face lights up at the sight of him.

"You look great," she says. He smiles slightly in return, pushing his thumbs into the back pockets of his jeans.

"Not as great as you." Petra's cheeks color and she beams brightly, offering her right hand to the dark-haired boy. Levi hesitates slightly, but removes his left hand from his pocket, taking it.

How does he get himself into these situations? Oh, right. _Hanji._

The guy is probably lurking around somewhere, watching them like hawks. It kind of irritates Levi.

But he lets it go as he and Petra walk into the dark gymnasium, hand in hand. The only lights are the colorful spotlights moving around the gym. Levi can still barely see anything despite the lighting. And his glasses.

"Aw, you guys look so cute!" Hanji suddenly appears in front of Petra and him.

The brunette wears a simple white dress shirt, loose black slacks and a blazer.

"Hello, Hanji!" Petra greets cheerfully.

"Hey, what's up?" Levi greets as well.

"Oh, your sister looks nice tonight!" Hanji comments with a wink. "Especially her hair."

Levi rolls his eyes. "Good to know. Are you going to court her?"

"Maybe, maybe not," the brunette replies vaguely. "I'm going to go hang out with Erwin, have fun!"

Levi grimaces at the mention of the captain of the lacrosse team. "I think you need it more than I do."

Hanji laughs, walking away.

Petra giggles, turning towards the dark-haired boy next to her. "He's an interesting character, isn't he?"

"That's what makes Hanji, Hanji, I suppose."

Now that he's face to face with her, Levi realizes that Petra is actually a little taller than himself. She's one of the shortest girls at the school.

He sighs mentally. Hanji now has new teasing material.

"Oh, I see my friends. I'm going to talk with them," Petra says. Levi nods.

Once she's far, far away, he exhales heavily.

He needs to get out of here. It's getting way too stuffy with the impossible amount of bodies that had just entered while he and Petra were talking with Hanji.

Levi makes his way around people, going over to the back door of the gym.

* * *

><p>"Marco was right. It's getting kind of hot in here," Eren mutters to himself, pressed against the wall behind himself. There are just way too many people.<p>

Armin went to get something to drink, and Mikasa went with him because she wanted to get some food.

Just as Eren pushes himself off the wall, something warm collides with him. A gentle wave of sweet candy apple washes over him.

"Sorry," the person murmurs, about to walk away, but the brunette grabs his upper arm.

"Levi?" he asks tentatively, ready to apologize profusely if it's someone else who happens to have the exact same shampoo as the dark-haired boy.

What? It's likely.

"Yeah...Eren?" Levi blinks, turning to look at the brunette. He can make out handsome features and tousled, side-swept chocolate locks. Not to mention bright blue-green eyes.

"Oh, good, it is you," Eren laughs, relieved. "I was going to flip out if it wasn't."

He sees Levi smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling in that oh, so familiar way. It makes Eren grin.

"Well, I was just going to go outside. I'm getting suffocated in here. It's insane how many people are here."

"Mind if I join you? I could use some fresh air as well," Eren says.

"Sure." And with that, the brunette releases Levi's arm, offering out his own. Like a gentleman.

"Thank you much, sir," Levi jokes with a smile, slipping his own arm through Eren's and resting his other hand on the brunette's toned bicep. It's obvious that Eren does extra training outside of lacrosse practices.

"Anything for a alluring young man, like so," the turquoise-eyed boy says back with a bright grin.

They walk arm in arm, making their way to the back door, when Eren suddenly slows down.

"Ah, one moment, I have something I need to take care of." Levi gives him a curious look.

Quick as lightning, Eren sticks out his foot, which is now in the pathway of a certain student council president. It sends the boy tripping, the eggnog in his hand wasted on a girl who happens to be right behind Eren. To top the cake off with icing, Jean lands on the girl.

You can hear screeching and apologizing as they walk away. A crowd is starting to gather.

"Oops, my bad," Eren says, snickering. "Revenge is a sweet and wonderful thing, though. Come on, before he sees me."

The brunette and Levi quickly and smoothly walk around people, making their way out the back door of the gym.

"Ah, fresh air!" Eren says, releasing Levi and spreading out his arms, once they're outside.

"Stop being such a drama queen," the dark-haired boy says with a short laugh. Eren turns around, his breath catching in his throat. Now that they're outside, where the moon provides more light (than the lights inside), the brunette has a good, long look at Levi.

"Wow…" He can't control his roaming eyes.

"What?" Levi asks, shying away from the brunette's intense blue-green gaze.

Eren has never seen the dark-haired boy in anything besides his school uniform, so seeing a smooth, milky collarbone partially hidden by his dress shirt collar is a surprise. A pleasant surprise.

"Beautiful," the brunette blurts out, unable to piece together a sentence. Levi smiles shyly, a modest blush warming up his cheeks.

"You look dashing yourself," he says back. Eren smiles, revealing white teeth and friendly dimples. The younger boy can see why people are enraptured with his boyish charm.

"Thank you." He offers his hand to the dark-haired boy. Levi doesn't hesitate to reach out for it, but he tentatively touches his fingertips to Eren's palm, before the older boy gently and carefully takes his hand. His fair skin matches Eren's own, since the brunette is still a bit sick.

Once Levi is comfortable with their connected hands, Eren laces their fingers together.

The area behind the gym has the field and the bleachers where the dark-haired boy usually waits for Mikasa. Eren and Levi walk around the area, enjoying the peaceful silence that the cool night provides. Their breaths come out in white puffs.

The brunette playfully swings their arms as they walk, but it's a subtle movement. To Levi, it's calming.

The dark-haired boy's hand is warm, just like that time Eren had held onto it when they had smashed into each other in the hallway (courtesy of Jean).

"How's your shoulder?" Eren asks. The incident happened about a few days ago. He would've asked earlier, but he was too busy wallowing in his cold germs at home.

"It's fine. Just a bit bruised," Levi replies, shrugging nonchalantly. "Are you sure you're not on the football team?" He smiles jokingly.

"Wow, I didn't know I was that strong." The brunette looks "surprised". There's something else in that expression. "You know...I think I should test out my strength."

Levi gasps in surprise as Eren suddenly lifts him up by his waist with impossible ease. Sure, the dark-haired boy is small and all, but he has some muscle from taking martial arts for nine years.

The brunette spins them around, causing Levi to laugh and grasp onto the older's strong shoulders. Eren grins, continuing to spin the small boy around, enjoying the cute laughs coming from Levi. Sparkling sky-blue eyes meet smiling turquoise eyes.

After several seconds, Eren puts Levi down gently. "That was fun."

"For you," Levi says. But that was the most fun he's had in forever.

Both boys make their way to the bleachers, sitting down on the lowest bench. Levi looks over at Eren and notices a lock of chocolate sticking up. He reaches out to smooth it down, his slim fingers weaving through dark locks, relishing how fluffy and downy the older's hair is. Eren hums in content, wrapping an arm around Levi's hips, sliding the shorter boy closer.

The brunette has never felt so strongly towards someone before, as he looks into gentle stormy-gray eyes.

"I would like to finish yesterday's kiss," Eren says, pressing his forehead to Levi's. Chocolate and ebony locks mix together. "I really like you. A lot."

"I like you a lot, too," Levi says, smiling softly.

It's just like yesterday. Eren can feel the other's warm breath fanning across his face, brushing his lips. The sugary scent of candy apples invades his senses in a pleasant way, and sky-blue eyes look deeply into his.

The only difference is that Levi's warm body is so close that the brunette can feel warmth flowing off him in soft waves. They're not touching, but all Eren needs is to be close to Levi.

Eren sees his eyes close slowly. Their lips are about to lock―

"Hey, that's where you were!"

Both boys put the speed of light to shame, once again, pulling away from each other.

Hanji comes running up to them. "Levi! Petra has been looking for you." He sees Eren, and gives the lacrosse player a bright beam. "Hey, Eren!"

"Hey, Hanji," Eren greets, smiling. Levi turns towards the brunette, his stormy eyes showing sadness.

"Sorry, I have to go." He stands up. Hanji starts walking towards the gym.

"Hold on." Eren grabs Levi's hand, pulling the younger boy to himself. The dark-haired boy gives him a questioning look, soon to be replaced by a slight flush as the brunette presses his warm lips again his knuckles. He looks up at Levi through long eyelashes, blue-green eyes bright and flashing with anticipation.

"I'll be waiting. Soon." The brunette smiles, his whole personality changing from dark and mysterious to friendly and warm. Levi lets a small smile pull at his lips before Eren releases his hand, and he's off, back to the gym.

Soon. Levi hopes that 'soon' is very close.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, guys! This is short, little chapter telling about how Levi and Eren are holding out before they meet each other again, which is on Levi's birthday ****(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧ - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"What's wrong?" Mikasa asks her younger brother, who stares into space. The book in front of himself is ignored. A rare occurrence. Levi blinks, looking up at her with confused gray-blue eyes.

"What did you say? Sorry."

A partially cloudy Monday afternoon, the sun peeking through the clouds. It's two days after Winter Break has started, and Levi hasn't seen Eren since then, the cause of his zoning out.

"What's wrong?" Mikasa repeats. The dark-haired boy shrugs, closing his book.

"You've been off ever since the dance," she says.

"Then you can assume that something happened there, but I'm not telling you what," Levi retorts snappily, quickly standing up from his seat at the low table.

Mikasa steps away, slightly nervous. Usually, when something is bothering her little brother, he stays silent. Levi is a very passive-aggressive person, and keeps to himself.

He pauses, letting out a sigh. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a bit on edge."

Mikasa nods, and Levi sighs again, making his way out the living room and up the stairs.

"Did something happen, Mika?" The siblings' father walks into the room that his son had just left. "I heard some agitated talking."

His daughter turns to him with a worried look painted on her face. "Something is wrong with Levi, Dad."

"Yes, he has been a bit off, huh?" Mikasa's dad smiles in a knowing way. "He'll come around, don't worry." He opens his arms, and the dark-haired girl goes over to give him a hug.

"Okay…"

* * *

><p>Eren rubs his cheek with a sigh, leaning back against his bed. He sits on the floor, to the side of the aforementioned piece of furniture.<p>

"What's wrong, Eren?" Armin asks, lying on his stomach, occupying the brunette's bed. "You've been sighing and zoning out a lot lately."

"What?" Eren asks. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"

"You've been like this ever since...the dance…" The blonde suddenly grabs onto the brunette's shoulders, holding him to the side of his bed.

"What happened during the dance?" he asks softly.

"I...don't know." The turquoise-eyed boy tries to get up, but Armin is stronger than he seems.

"Tell me!"

"You'll just find out soon! You're smart like that." But Eren is stronger.

The brunette grabs onto his friend's hands, pulling him over his bed, and onto his back. He rolls over onto the floor, lying on his back, crushing the blonde under his weight.

"Ugh! Okay, okay!" Armin groans, and the brunette sits up, not wanting to suffocate his poor friend.

Eren furrows his brow, creating that crease that Levi had smoothed down in their last calculus session.

This is impossible. Impossible not to think of him, or to have the sugary-sweet aroma of candy apples branded into all his senses.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, guys! Happy Birthday to a certain petite yet extremely sassy captain, and a Merry Christmas to you! **** ⋆ᗰદ૨૨ʏ⋆ᐠ₍⁽˚⑅̆˚⁾₎ᐟ⋆ᘓમ૨ıડτന੨ડ⋆ Levi looks like he hasn't gained a year. Haha ****（ ´∀｀）**

**I have this theory that he might be one of Santa's elves, and he's come to spread joy to us all (that might explain his height and his birth date). Or kicks to the face. Ow. - Makoto**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"His birthday is tomorrow," Armin says as they relax in Eren's room. His uncle is out again on a business trip, so he'll be staying over at the Jaegers' house for the majority of Winter Break.

"I already bought something for him. He seems like a practical person, doesn't he?" Eren says, holding up a small, slim package. The blonde gives him a curious look.

"Is there something going on between you and Levi?"

"And what makes you think that?" Eren's tanned cheeks take on a rosy hue. Now that his cold is gone, his dark complexion has come back.

"You really like him, don't you? And I don't mean as a best friend." Armin gives the brunette a pointed look.

"Yeah. You're right. You could say that we're dating, but it would be a term used very loosely," Eren replies, placing the package on his nightstand.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asks.

"All of our kisses have been attempted." The brunette lies down heavily next to Armin.

"Oh, well, there's his birthday."

"What do you mean?" Eren asks the question this time.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get your chance." Armin pats the other boy's arm comfortingly.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Levi answers the door on this fine and (finally) sunny late Christmas afternoon. The sky is its usual bright blue, and Eren can't help but notice that his beloved's eyes take on a brighter shade of sky-blue.<p>

The dark-haired boy wears a white dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and jean capris; an apron over his clothes.

The brunette really hopes that Armin's encouraging words are right, because gosh darn it.

"Come on in." The dark-haired boy steps back to allow Eren and Armin to come inside.

"Hey, Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!" Armin says cheerfully.

"Aw, thank you." Levi looks slightly embarrassed as they walk inside. He takes the blonde's coat, putting it on the coat rack next to the door, while Armin makes his way to the living room.

Eren smiles, leaning down slightly to give the dark-haired boy a chaste kiss to the forehead. Levi flushes, closing the door.

"It's good to see you, too, Eren." The gray-blue-eyed boy goes up onto his tippy-toes to give Eren a small, shy kiss on the cheek.

Huh. Maybe Eren lied to Armin last night. "Dating" is used as an actual, meaningful term.

The brunette grins, wrapping an arm around Levi's slim waist. "Happy Birthday, and Merry Christmas, my love."

"Thank you. You're so sweet," the dark-haired boy says softly with smile. "Here, let me take your coat."

He helps Eren take off the heavy outerwear, revealing a light blue dress shirt.

"Blue looks good on you, you know," Levi mentions, hanging the older's coat on the coat rack.

He moves over to Eren, unwrapping the dark-red scarf from around his neck with nimble and slim fingers. The brunette reaches up to caress a rosy milky cheek with a tanned hand, and Levi nuzzles into it, placing his own warm hand atop it.

"Come on, it took a while for Mikasa and me to prepare all the food."

Eren lets the small boy take his hand and lead him into the dining room.

He notices that Mikasa and Levi's parents aren't home. Must be at work. Eren knows that their mom is a full-time nurse at the same hospital that his dad works at, and that they're schedules have them coming home very late at night, or at the ungodly hours of the morning. As for their dad, who is a constructor, he must be working on a crazy big project because of the holidays.

"Whoa, you guys made all this?" Eren looks at the dining table with awe. There's literally food from one end to the other.

"Well, Levi did," Mikasa says, walking up to them. "Shrimp is a very good cook."

"Gee, thanks, Sis," the dark-haired boy says, rolling his eyes at the insulting nickname she has called him for god-knows-how-long.

He releases Eren's hand. "All three of you can start if you want, I've got something in the oven."

Before Levi can walk away, the brunette presses his face into sweet-smelling dark locks. Mikasa raises her eyebrows as her brother walks away with a bit of color on his cheeks. Once he's in the kitchen, and the door is shut behind him, the dark-haired girl turns to Eren with a curious look.

"I had a feeling. Are you two together?" Mikasa asks. The brunette feels a bit of a protective vibe coming from the girl. Of course, this is her little brother they're talking about. She may not show that she cares most of the time, but she really does. A lot.

"Yes. We are," Eren replies with a small smile. He holds his ground. That's one thing that Mikasa does, she observes you very closely. It would unnerve any other guy, and have him running for the mountains. But Eren has known Mikasa for a long while, so he knows her ways.

She grins. "Thought so."

"Yeah, gosh, Mikasa, get with the times," Armin jokes, walking up behind Eren. The lacrosse player laughs, running a hand through his tousled chocolate locks.

All three friends sit down at the table, just as Levi walks back into the dining room balancing pumpkin pie in one hand and a pile of plates in the other.

"Good god, so much food," Eren says, once again, looking over all the delicious-looking foods.

"Eat up," Levi says, placing the pie, balanced on his right hand, and the pile of plates, in his left hand, down. "We didn't make all this for nothing."

"Dude," Armin whispers, leaning towards Eren, "Smart, cute, _and_ he can cook? He's a keeper."

The brunette gives the blonde a look before laughing slightly. "Yeah. You're right."

* * *

><p>"Does anyone have an extra pants button?" Armin asks, leaning back in his chair.<p>

"Sorry, you're out of luck, bro," Eren replies with a nonchalant shrug. Mikasa laughs, and Levi stands up with a smile.

"I'll get all the dishes." Before he can grab his sister's plate, she takes his wrist.

"No need to worry about that, I'll get it. It's the least I can do."

"Thanks." The dark-haired girl gives Eren a wink before standing up and gathering all their dishes.

As she passes by him, he mouths 'thank you'.

Armin gives his best friend a pointed look, then glances at Levi, who still standing and cleaning off the table. Eren stands up as well, with a nervous smile to the blonde, as he walks over to his (supposed) boyfriend.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" the brunette asks, gently taking Levi's hand as the other boy looks up at him.

"Sure," he replies, albeit a bit hesitantly.

The dark-haired boy leads him out of the dining room and into the living room, then into the doorway of a guest bedroom. That way, he can see if Mikasa or Armin are entering the living room.

"What's wrong?" Levi asks softly as Eren takes his other hand into his own.

The brunette notices something is off.

A leaf. A small, oval-shaped leaf falls between them, onto the floor.

Both boys look up at the same time. Eren grins, a small flush present on his tanned cheeks, while Levi looks away, his own milky cheeks stained with a lovely cherry-red.

Mistletoe.

"I swear I didn't do anything," Eren says suddenly with wide eyes. Levi shakes his head, looking up at the brunette with embarrassed gray-blue eyes.

"I didn't accuse you." The brunette sighs in relief, releasing the other boy's hands to grasp onto his slim waist, while the dark-haired boy's arms wrap around Eren's neck.

They stay like that for a comfortable moment, until Eren leans down, their lips just barely touching.

Levi's warm breath fans over his lips and cheeks, and his intoxicating scent of candy apples fills all his senses. The small boy leans up the rest of the way, locking their lips together in a soft and sweet kiss.

Eren smiles into the kiss. Levi's lips are just as smooth and full as they look.

Both boys pull away.

"I told you it'd be soon," the brunette says. Levi smiles.

"I was hoping it would've been earlier."

The older boy dons a sheepish smile, soon to be wiped away by another tender kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, guys! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas (╯^□^)╯︵ ❄ ❄ I would've updated sooner, but I've been working on two other stories (ireallyneedtostopmultitaskingbadmakotobad). Haha （ ´∀｀）**

**Without further ado, I shall grant you access to more cuteness that is Eren and Levi! - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"Aw, you remembered!" Levi laughs slightly at the memory of telling Eren about his discombobulated mechanical pencil, and showing it, as well.

Both boys sit on the dark-haired boy's bed, their legs tangled together. It's the day after his birthday, since Eren forgot to give Levi his birthday present the previous day. That kiss was literally mind-blowing, as were the ones shared afterwards.

Levi holds a plastic case with a turquoise mechanical pencil in it.

"It matches your eyes, did you notice?"

Eren offers a sly smile and raised eyebrows. "Maybe."

His boyfriend rolls his eyes, but smiles nonetheless, the corners of his eyes crinkling cutely (as they always do). "You sly dog."

Eren leans forward for a kiss, which Levi gives him. The petite boy knows that he spoils the brunette far too much, but it's amusing to see Eren pout when you deprive him of kisses.

* * *

><p>"You must have incredibly thick skin," Eren comments, using his left hand to tug at Levi's cardigan sleeve, causing it to slip down his shoulder. His right hand is laced with the smaller boy's own.<p>

"Stop," the dark-haired boy whines, swatting the brunette's hand away with a sleeve-covered hand and using it to pull his outerwear back up his shoulder.

Although, Eren rather likes seeing the petite boy in his thin cardigans that reach his mid-thighs and cover his palms. Paired with a white dress shirt and well-fitting jeans, it's adorable.

The brunette laughs as Levi gives him an unamused and stormy-gray gaze.

The couple walk through a park on this fine and cool early Sunday morning. There's a few people out walking their dogs, and bare trees hold dew on their branches from last night's rain.

Eren admits that he's never felt so at peace and so calm before. And happy. Despite his shy exterior, Levi is a very kind person, and the brunette, fortunately, gets the end of his tenderness and sweetness. The dark-haired boy is obviously very comfortable around Eren; that being all the lacrosse player wants at this point in time.

In all honesty, this isn't the first time or the second time that Eren has dated anybody, but it's the first time he's felt truly in love. He can tell you that as he feels Levi press up against his side to provide him warmth, causing his heart to skip a beat.

Yup. This boy is definitely going to be the death of Eren.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, guys! I admit that I have no idea where I'm going with this story ****(シ_ _)シ Good god. Please bare with me here.  
><strong>

**Anyways, ****Happy New Year's to you! Haha. Especially to those who are born in the year of the sheep ****(ᵔᴥᵔ) - Makoto  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

Levi has learned that Eren is a very touchy-feely person, not in a bad way (goodness no), and whenever the two of them are alone, he's hugging the smaller boy so closely that not even water can go through them, and he's burying his face in soft, apple-scented locks.

It makes Levi laugh and smile, a small blush powdered onto his fair cheeks. Even Eren's sun-kissed skin has a happy red tint to it as he grins, revealing endearing dimples.

On this fine, cloudy and windy New Year's Eve, both boys lounge around on the brunette's bed.

The previous day Eren had called Levi. "My parents won't be home," he had said. "They're going to be at a dinner party in Trost, and will be staying there for the night."

Trost is a pretty far away. It takes about four hours to get there by car from Shiganshina.

"Fine," Levi had replied, knowing what the brunette was implying, followed by Eren's nervous laughter.

"I mean, if you want to spend time with your family…"

"I'll be alone, too, actually, so I don't mind."

"Where's Mikasa wandering off to?"

"Don't know. But I suspect Armin," Levi said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the kitchen island behind himself.

"Ah, yes, _Armin_." Eren's low voice had a mocking, joking tone to it.

"I thought you'd be spending time with him?"

"I was going to, but once I found out that my parents would be gone…"

And now here they are, Levi sitting on the brunette's bed, Eren's head resting on his crossed legs. The older boy's hands are occupied with his slim wrist, that has a black hair band on it, which Eren pulls and it snaps back against fair skin.

"Ow." Levi's lips purse into a small pout at the sharp sting in his wrist, causing Eren to grin and laugh at the younger boy's cuteness.

"Sorry." He presses a soft kiss to reddening skin. Levi's wrist is replaced by his lips as the dark-haired boy leans down to give Eren a small peck. After they pull away, the brunette sits up, smoothly pulling Levi onto his lap with ease. The petite boy wraps his arms around Eren's neck, causing a smile to make its way across the older boy's lips as he leans down slightly to give Levi an eskimo kiss. The smaller boy smiles shyly, wrapping his arms around Eren's neck a bit tighter.

"Will you be able to stay up until midnight?"

"We're high schoolers. We're built to stay up into the ungodly hours of the morning," the brunette says back. Levi laughs.

"I guess so." He reaches up a hand to caress Eren's sun-kissed cheek. The turquoise-eyed boy leans into the touch, nuzzling the warm, fair hand.

"I really love you, you know." The brunette smiles as Levi's hand trails down to his neck, then down to his shoulder.

"I really love you, too. I mean it."

"I know you do."

Both boys jump in surprise at the sharp clap of fireworks. Levi sits up in Eren's lap, moving off of the taller boy.

"Hey, let's go watch them."

Eren nods in agreement, standing up and grabbing the younger boy's hand, leading him out of his room and down the hallway into his parents' bedroom, opening the glass sliding door to a balcony.

Already, bursts of red, blue, green, purple, gold, and orange are lighting up the dark night sky with vibrant joy. It's an amazing sight, despite the cold air that runs it fingers through thick ebony locks and brushes against his milky, rosy cheeks.

The brunette next to him wraps an arm around his shoulders, and Levi presses himself against the other boy, providing him much needed warmth that his thin jacket can't provide.

"Thanks." With a grin, Eren leans slightly against Levi.

Watching the fireworks together is a calming and different experience. Usually, the brunette watches it alone because his parents are fast asleep. His dad because of work, his mom because of being his mom.

Although, Eren knows that he loves the small warmth pressed up against his side and the familiar, sweet scent that seems to float around Levi.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys! I just realized, as I was writing this chapter, that I made Levi a bit of a drama queen ****ʕノ•ᴥ•ʔノ ︵ ┻━┻ No regrets. Just as long as Eren can tolerate him. - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

It's that feeling again. That feeling of getting all the air in your lungs pushed out. This time, it makes Levi freak out a little bit since it's across his whole stomach.

He places his hand on the warm object laid across himself. The feel of soft cotton underneath his fingertips sparks recognition and familiarity.

"Eren," Levi breathes out, wondering how they even got into this sleeping position, "you're crushing me."

He receives a small grunt in response, indicating that the brunette isn't about to move off his source of heat. The dark-haired boy sighs, looking around and getting his bearings.

All the covers on Eren's bed are kicked out around them, and when he moves, Levi finds that his feet are up against the headboard, his legs bent. Eren's whole body is spread over his torso, while his head and arms are hanging over the bed.

How were they able to sleep like this? More importantly, _how_ did they even end up like this?

Levi remembers that they fell asleep like normal people. And then this happened. It amazes him, in a way.

The dark-haired boy tries to wake up Eren again by lightly shaking him. The older boy has way more muscle than his clothes let on, and Levi would appreciate it if Eren got his sixty-seven-point-one kilograms worth of myocytes off of himself because gosh darn it, it's really hard to breathe in and out at a normal rate. And Levi needs air. Now. Not to mention that Eren's dead weight is ninety-point-seven kilograms.

"Eren, wake up, or else I'm going to suffer from hypoxia."

The brunette groans, slowly opening his eyes. Only to face the ground. Since when do wooden floors talk? "What…?"

"Hypoxia, Eren, hypoxia..."

"Oh, gosh!" He quickly moves off of Levi, who breathes in with relief. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's fine. I'm just wondering how we ended up like that," he laughs slightly, causing Eren's slightly panicked expression to turn into a charming smile.

"Hey, you look really different without your glasses," the brunette mentions. Levi reaches up to rub the sleep out of his eyes, reminding his boyfriend of a sleepy kitten.

"Is that good or bad?"

"It's a good different."

"I can barely see you." Eren looks like a blurry blob of chocolate-brown bedhead, tan skin, and a white v-neck, and Levi doesn't even try to squint because he knows it ceases to assist his poor eyesight.

"Here." The older boy grabs Levi's glasses from the nightstand and hands it to him.

"Thanks."

"Yes, it'll be a shame if you couldn't see my gorgeous face," Eren says cheekily with a teasing grin. Levi puts on his glasses with a small laugh.

"'A shame' isn't exactly it. 'A relief' is more like it."

"That is, like, _so_ rude!" The brunette fakes a valley girl accent, pretending to flip his short hair behind his shoulder.

"Says you."

Both boys laugh and Eren leans down to wrap his arms around Levi in a hug. "This is why I love you," the brunette says. "I feel like I'm equal to you."

"Aw, you're so sweet." Levi smiles as Eren nuzzles his face in a warm, sweet-smelling neck. Messy but silky ebony locks tickle his cheek.

"Dude, do you eat ten apples a day?" The brunette has heard that "you are what you eat".

"What?" the dark-haired boy asks, giving the head of tousled chocolate bedhead on his shoulder a confused look.

"Nothing. You smell good."

"Thanks…?" Levi just lets it go, already used to Eren's weird spurs of randomness. The brunette smiles into soft, milky skin, pressing his lips to it.

"Oh, yeah, Happy New Year's," the smaller boy says, wrapping his arms around Eren's neck, gently weaving his slim fingers into soft dark chocolate locks. He presses his cheek onto the older boy's tangled bedhead, catching the scent of pine...no, fir. The brunette literally smells like a Christmas tree. Albeit, it's a very subtle scent, and Levi has to nuzzle his face into Eren's fluffy locks to really pin down the aroma.

"A new year, huh? Time really flies by. It feels like we were just starting our junior year," the lacrosse player says, his low voice muffled by Levi's neck.

Suddenly, a low grumbling sound comes from somewhere. Instantly after, Eren pulls away to give a sheepish smile. Levi smiles back.

"I'm assuming it's time for breakfast?"

"You assumed correctly."

"Alright. I'll go make something." Both boys untangle themselves, with smiles and laughs, from each other and get off the bed. Eren leads Levi out of his room and downstairs, into the kitchen.

"What do you want to eat?" the dark-haired boy asks, going over to the fridge.

"A real breakfast, for once in my high school life," Eren replies.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. It looks like your mom just went grocery shopping…"

* * *

><p>"Please marry me," is the first thing that makes it past Eren's lips, seeing all the delicious breakfast foods (on the kitchen island) that Levi had whipped up. Light, golden pancakes, crispy bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs...gosh. Everything.<p>

The younger boy laughs. "Maybe in a couple of years, I'll think about it."

"Does Mikasa wake up to this every morning?"

"Every weekend she does."

"I'm so jealous of her," the brunette groans, wrapping his arms around Levi's waist. "She gets her cute brother to make her breakfast every Saturday and Sunday."

"You make her sound like a slave-driver." Levi smiles, leaning back against Eren's firm body, placing his fair hands atop sun-kissed arms.

"That wasn't my intention."

"Well, eat up. I didn't make this all for nothing." Eren releases his boyfriend, but not without leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. He already feels like they're an old married couple, but it's a comforting and warm feeling.

"Alright, thanks."

"No problem." That familiar crinkle that appears at the ends of soft sky-blue eyes makes the brunette's heart melt. He grins charmingly in return.

Eren hopes that Levi meant it when he said he'd think about his "marriage proposal".

* * *

><p>Mikasa sits down across from Armin, who is typing away on his phone, at the dining table. "Who are you texting?" she asks, upon sitting down.<p>

"Connie. He says he needs major help with AP Chemistry when we get back to school."

"How did he even make it into an AP class in the first place?"

"Hey, give him some credit. Sure, he doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, but he surprises you."

"Connie._ 'He surprises you'_. You're joking, right?" Mikasa raises her eyebrows. The blonde laughs.

"Yeah, he is! Did you expect that he'd be the one to break up with Sasha?"

"Oh, that's right. That was the main talk of our sophomore year. I wonder why he broke up with her; he never said why," the dark-haired girl wonders aloud. Her best friend shrugs, putting his phone down.

"Maybe her gluttonous habits were tiring him out."

Mikasa laughs. "That's probably it. Or…" she gives Armin a knowing look, "it could be for someone else."

"Really? I thought he would've worked up the guts to ask them out by now. That relationship ended in the middle of sophomore year."

"If you haven't noticed, he's a bit on the shy side when it comes to girls." Suddenly, Armin snaps his fingers.

"Oh! Or maybe he thought of Sasha as more of a best friend. You know how comfortable he is around her."

"Or it could be both," Mikasa says.

"What, he likes someone else, _and_ he thinks of Sasha as just a friend?" Her blonde friend thinks about it, then agrees with a nod. "That's the most likely scenario." Then he pauses. "So I'm going to tutor him in AP Chem."

Mikasa opens her mouth, about to say something, but decides against it. Armin notices.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He gives her a suspicious look. "Fine, then." The phone next to his hand starts vibrating, indicating that someone has texted him. Most likely Connie.

Once the blonde's focus is entirely on his phone, Mikasa lets a smile cross her lips.

She most definitely has to make a bet with Eren and her brother about this.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, guys! I'm here with another chapter (aftergodknowshowlong) ****＼(*T▽T*)／ I'm planning to tie a ribbon around this soon, but I'm not going to go into much detail with that yet. Meanwhile, please enjoy more (attempted) cute Ereri! - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

Eren sighs on this fine and sunny Monday morning, walking to school with Armin. It's cool out, so he wears the school's cream-colored sweater (unbuttoned) underneath his usual navy-blue blazer. Armin actually looks a bit cold today, as he's rubbing his upper arms in an attempt to spark a bit of heat back into his arms. And he's wearing a pull-over sweater under his buttoned blazer.

"I bet Mikasa stays warm underneath that scarf," the blonde mentions as they see her come into sight.

"No kidding."

He spots his boyfriend walking towards the school building with Hanji, as they greet Mikasa at the school's front gates. Nothing wrong with that. Just the fact that he's just wearing the school's navy blue sweater, unbuttoned. That's all. _How?_

Eren shakes his head, as he and his two best friends walk to the school building to get out of the cold.

The bell rings just as they step inside, and Eren groans. "I have to get to the locker rooms."

"Have fun freezing out there!" Armin calls after him.

"Thank you, I will!"

* * *

><p>He finds that he's a lot more aware of Eren, now that they're a couple. As they're in AP Chem class, Levi notices how the brunette's tousled locks are pushed back, revealing more of his forehead, and how his tanned cheeks are flushed a healthy rosy color. Probably just came from P.E., where all the students must run the tortuous mile.<p>

The dark-haired boy focuses his attention back to the solution in front of him. Today, he has the pleasure of mixing rather explosive reactants together to make a non-explosive and completely safe product. You have to be very cautious with this. Too bad his partner is Auruo Bossard.

Levi has no idea how to talk this guy - he's already bitten his tongue twice and is nursing it. He just ignores the older boy and goes on with the experiment.

Well, he would've, if the explosion in front of them didn't happen.

He and Auruo quickly duck under their desk. The dark-haired boy gives an exasperated sigh.

It's followed by shrill, ear-splitting screeches and shrieks, as well as yells of surprise. _Yet again._

_Those_ girls again.

Levi is about to stand up, but is interrupted by a low, concerned voice.

"Hey, you guys okay?" The dark-haired boy looks up from his spot on the floor.

Eren's brow is furrowed, creating that worried crease between his eyebrows, as he looks down at his boyfriend. Levi nods.

"Yeah...we're fine." He offers a hand to Auruo, whose face is scrunched up in a sour expression. The blonde takes Levi's hand gratefully.

"Thanks," he says.

Mr. Bach rushes over to the crime scene. "Well, Mr. Ackerman, it looks like you have the table of honor right behind Miss Dressler and Miss Forst."

"Mm." Levi smiles politely, but Eren can tell he's more than unamused. He discreetly reaches out a tanned hand, brushing it against a fair slim wrist. Kind blue eyes and a cute smile are his response as he walks back to his table.

* * *

><p>"So, you're gonna start tutoring Connie today?" Eren asks Armin, during the beginning of calculus, when students are just trickling in.<p>

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Wait - how do you know?"

"Mikasa."

"Oh." Armin doesn't look surprised. "You have a calculus date today?"

"Yeah. After lacrosse practice."

"By the by, how's it going with Levi? You two seem to be incredibly stable as a couple."

"Well, I sort of 'proposed' to him over Winter Break, if you count that as 'stable'," Eren replies.

"How did he react?"

"He said he'd think about it."

"Oh, you guys are definitely stable."

The brunette gives Armin a look. "Are you like one of those trolls in _Frozen_?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Eren smiles and shakes his head at his best friend's silliness.

His eyes focus on the door to the classroom, watching as Levi walks in, looking out of breath. He must've just came from P.E. judging by his flushed cheeks and pushed back hair, revealing more of his fair forehead. Even his glasses seem to rest on his delicate nose in a strict way, indicating that he must've shoved them on his face because of his weariness and his ability to give zero cares.

Armin watches with amusement as Eren's turquoise eyes instantly show gentle love as they catch the sight of his petite boyfriend.

"You guys are seriously made for each other."

"What?" The brunette's attention snaps back to his best friend. "Sorry, Armin."

"It's alright. I don't mind." The blonde smiles, not having seen Eren so...soft and affectionate of someone before.

Levi is truly something else. A saint, perhaps. Maybe that's why he was born on Christmas Day.

Armin snickers a bit at his theory, while his best friend gives him a weird look.

Eh, it's cute, either way.

* * *

><p>Levi quietly looks out to the field, watching lacrosse practice going on from the bleachers. Hanji has gone home, overtired from the school day. It gives him some peace and quiet for once.<p>

He's not surprised to see Eren skillfully weave through his other teammates, making a quick goal with a firm toss of his lacrosse stick. But that doesn't mean the brunette's agility and athleticism ceases to amaze him.

The dark-haired boy sighs, moving his glasses up to his hair and pressing his face into his hands. He feels tired.

The coach's whistle goes off, signalling the end of lacrosse practice, but Levi doesn't even notice. That is, until he smells the distinct smell of fir and deodorant.

"Hey, you okay?" Eren asks, sitting on the step below the blue-gray eyed boy, who removes his hands from his face.

"Yeah," Levi replies, bringing his glasses down. "Just...tired."

"Senior year coming too soon?" The brunette places his hand over Levi's smaller hand, which rests against his knee.

"Yeah…"

"I would just take it one day at a time."

The dark-haired boy manages a small smile, reaching out his free hand to caress Eren's tanned and flushed cheek. "Seems like the best option, huh."

He pushes back dark chocolate strands from bright turquoise eyes. Eren leans into the light and gentle touch, nuzzling into Levi's warm hand.

"Get changed so we can get going." The brunette nods, standing up from his seat on the bleachers.

"See you soon."

* * *

><p>"Hey, great job!" Levi looks happy as he checks over Eren's calculus homework. "You're getting the hang of this. Only one problem wrong, but it's a tricky one." He hands the worksheet back to the brunette, who looks accomplished at getting most of his homework correct.<p>

"Here," the dark-haired boy says, pulling a piece of scratch paper towards himself, "I'll show you how to do it…"

After about ten minutes of explaining (on Levi's part), Eren understands and is able to do the problem, thus finishing his homework.

"Ah, finally done!" the older boy exclaims, stretching his arms above his head. Levi smiles and shakes his head, biting into the apple that had magically appeared in his hand. Nah, there's no such thing as magic. He probably had gotten up sometime between Eren starting the problem, and him finishing it.

The soft ring of a phone notification causes Eren to reach into his back pocket for his phone.

While the turquoise-eyed boy looks at the text sent to him, Levi flips the page of the book (that also magically appeared, not) in front of himself.

"Oh, get this," Eren says, and his boyfriend looks up from his book, closing it with his free hand.

"Get what?" he asks, taking another bite of apple.

"So my mom is away on a business trip, and she sent this." The brunette reads the text that his mother had sent him:

'_Eren, if you have trouble using the house key, you can always go through the dog door around the back. Love, Mom.'_

"That's really degrading. Especially when it's from my own mom," Eren remarks afterwards. It's true, though. In the past, when the lock was all rusty, and it was literally impossible to open the door with the key, the brunette had to crawl through the dog door in the back.

Levi smiles. "More degrading for you, or me? I'm the one dating you, after all."

"Seriously rude!" The older boy mocks hurt, placing a hand on his chest. "And this is coming from my own beloved boyfriend. Is everybody against me today?"

The blue-gray eyed boy laughs in response. "No, we're _always_ against you, Eren."

"Oh, gee, thanks." But the brunette grins at the cutest sound ever, which is Levi's laugh.

"You're welcome." The dark-haired boy pauses. "You have a dog?"

"Well, used to. She passed away three years ago, yet we still kept the door for a backup."

Levi gives Eren a weird look. "How big was your dog?"

"She was a German shepherd...and I'm not that fat, is that what you're implying?" The lacrosse player raises his eyebrows, looking mock offended.

"Yeah, that's totally what I'm implying." Levi rolls his eyes and raises an eyebrow. "The only thing that'll keep you from going through that door is pure muscle, but don't let that head of yours get too big."

Eren smiles sweetly. "I'm modest."

"And you wonder why people are against you."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, guys! I'm writing the moments between Eren and Levi as the days go on; as their relationship grows closer and closer ((( ^-^)爻(^-^ )))  
><strong>

**Since I'm going to tie up this story soon, I'm going to start a new one - it's going to be another high school AU of Eren and Levi, because I'm a sucker for those ****٩(*ゝڡ◕๑)۶ Just a warning in case my updates get less frequent (eventhoughtheyalreadyare). I'm a very restless person, if you couldn't tell ****( ﾟдﾟ) - Makoto  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

Levi has figured out one of Eren's major pet peeves, and how annoyed (which is _a lot_) he gets about it. He can see how the older boy used to be extremely passionate and aggressive, during his freshman and sophomore years. It didn't all go away, but it's cooled down astronomically.

Anyways. Eren's pet peeve.

It's Thursday, during their study date, when the brunette suddenly freezes. Levi notices the change in his boyfriend's demeanor, and questions it shyly, a bit scared by Eren's sudden change.

"I hates when she does this," the lacrosse player sighs heavily, obviously frustrated. Levi stays quiet, letting the older boy explain.

"This is so disorganized! I mean, look at it." Eren holds up the Spanish packet he is working on. The first page looks fine, but then he turns it, revealing an upside-down page on the back, with the number three on it. "What the heck? If you want us to learn Spanish correctly, the least you can do is put the pages in order so we don't get confused."

Levi takes the pages from Eren, and flips through it. It looks like the odd pages are back to back and the even pages are back to back, but the backsides of all these pages are upside-down. Did you keep up with that? Props to you, if you did.

"I hate when things aren't in order, it's seriously annoying. I can't find anything easily and conveniently."

The dark-haired boy hands back Eren's Spanish homework. "It could be a lot worse," the dark-haired boy says softly.

The brunette furrows his brow in irritation, creating that same crease, and Levi is sure he hasn't seen the older boy this upset before. It's alarming, yet kind of funny at the same time. Levi admits that it irks him a tiny bit to see everything so disorganized like that, albeit not as much as Eren.

"Whatever, but you get tired after half a year of it."

_"¿Su profesor nunca aprendió?"_ ("Your teacher never learned?") Levi asks in Spanish. Eren looks a bit surprised, but not too much. The foreign words are calming and smooth as they roll off of the small boy's tricky tongue.

"Yeah...where did you learn Spanish?" the brunette questions back.

_"En la escuela intermedia,"_ ("In middle school,") the younger boy replies. Eren grins.

"You never cease to amaze me."

Levi smiles, seeing that the older boy has calmed down. He should start speaking Spanish more often.

"Do you speak anything else?" the older boy asks out of curiosity.

Levi holds up a hand, ticking off fingers as he goes. "French," he pulls one finger back, "Japanese," another finger, "German," yet another finger, "and Latin...that's about it."

"You know Latin? Gee. Oh, and German? Nice." Eren gives the dark-haired boy a mischievous look.

"I'm assuming you know German," Levi remarks, wrapping his right hand around his left wrist.

"_Noch eine andere richtige Annahme,_" ("Yet another correct assumption,") the brunette says. The rather rough language fits Eren's low, mellow voice.

Levi laughs lightly, understanding his boyfriend word for word. "You flatter me."

Eren places a tanned hand atop the younger boy's connected hand and wrist. "Of course, you are _mein geliebter_ (my beloved), after all."

A shade of rosy-pink is dusted Levi's fair cheeks, coming mostly from the boy's shyness. "_Vos estis multum etiam dulcis,_" he murmurs softly in Latin.

"What?" Eren tilts his head in curiosity.

"Nothing."

* * *

><p>Soon, the weekend is upon them, with Levi keeping Eren company while his mom is still on a business trip, and his dad is at work.<p>

It's a cloudy Saturday afternoon, and the couple lounge around on the brunette's bed in a relaxed state, literally on each other.

Levi figures the last time Eren was lying on top of him, he freaked out because of the fact that he had just woken up. But now, as the brunette lays across his stomach, the dark-haired boy is already used to feeling the older boy's heavy weight balanced across his torso. And Eren's back makes a good table, so that's a plus.

Sure, this position will cause Levi's white button-up shirt to become wrinkled, but he could care less at this point in time, since Eren was the one who initiated it.

The dark-haired boy reads a book, and takes care to make sure the spine of it isn't digging into poor Eren's latissimus dorsi, while the brunette is on his phone, talking to his mom.

"I'm fine," the dark chocolate-haired boy says into his phone. There's a pause, then,

"Yeah, Levi is keeping me company. How did you know that someone was here with me?"

The blue-gray eyed boy isn't really paying attention to the conversation, more focused on the words in his book and the gentle aroma of laundry detergent coming from Eren's dark blue hoodie.

Levi curls his legs up more, his thighs touching the other side of the brunette's warm body, and flips a page in his book. His fingers worry at the corner and edges of the page, rubbing it between his fingers.

Eren still continues to talk to his mom, occasionally glancing behind himself at Levi, who is quietly and peacefully reading.

"Alright. Love you lots, bye." The brunette hangs up, finally done with his conversation with his mom. He reaches over to place his phone on his nightstand.

Eren lets out a sigh. He feels as Levi's stomach expands as the boy breathes in. It's a weird but welcomed feeling, since their tummies are pressed together.

The older boy can also feel the light pressure of Levi's book against his latissimus dorsi.

"Hey, I love you a lot. You know, right?" Eren suddenly says. The unexpected question snaps Levi out of his book.

"Of course. I love you a lot, too." He shuts it and places it on the brunette's nightstand. "Why?"

"...It's just that...I've realized how close graduation is."

"Are you thinking of studying abroad?" Levi asks, rubbing Eren's back in comfort.

"No...are you?"

"You know…" the dark-haired boy muses, his fingertips feeling the soft material of the older boy's hoodie, "I don't think I am. I was thinking of going to Maria University, since it's close to home."

Eren enjoys as Levi's nimble and slim fingers dance across his back. "I don't know where I want to go, but all I know is that I want to be near you."

"That's really cheesy, yet incredibly sweet at the same time." The dark-haired boy smiles, continuing to trace patterns on the brunette's back. "Did your mom mention something about colleges?"

"Yeah. She says in England they have a lot of great colleges, and since she's there, she's looking into opportunities for me," Eren says. "I just want to stay in Shiganshina, in all honesty. Maybe live with you. Are you still thinking of my marriage proposal?"

"I said I'd think about it, didn't I?" Levi asks back. He isn't really, though. But that's only because he's already made up his mind. Of course he'd love to marry Eren, if their relationship lasts that long, but he's not going to admit that just yet.

"Yeah…" Eren smiles dreamily, and Levi rolls his eyes, but smiles back nonetheless.

"Don't imagine me as your wife just yet."

"I won't. Not until we're actually married. The real thing is always better, anyways." The brunette grins. Levi has a feeling that Eren already knows what his answer will be, but that doesn't mean he'll confirm it.

"Is it really?"

"Yeah. It is."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey, guys! I'm here with another chapter of _Blooming Love...and Calculus_! Great to be back to provide you with more (sort-of) cuteness ****(´・ω・)ﾉ - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Blooming Love...and Calculus<strong>

"What's that?" Eren asks in horror, seeing Levi's upper arm. It's a rare occasion when the dark-haired boy wears a short-sleeved button-up, but since both boys are inside a heated house, it's an exception.

They sit side by side on the couch in the Jaeger household on this fine Sunday morning with Levi reading a book and Eren texting his mom and doing practice calculus problems for the test coming up (the dark-haired boy helping him, of course).

"What's what?" Levi asks back, glancing up from his book, giving the other boy a weird look. He feels firm fingers around his tender upper arm, and looks down. "Oh, that. Mikasa gave that to me yesterday at dinner. She was annoyed with me, probably because of my smart remarks, and punched me."

"Well, gee." Eren observes the rather large juicy purple and blue bruise that mars otherwise perfect milky skin. It sticks out like a dinosaur in the middle of a city, to say the least.

"I forgot about it until you brought it up."

"How could you forget that?" The brunette furrows his brow.

"Well, we both know martial arts, and took it for nine years. I'm surprised I survived this long," Levi says with a nonchalant shrug and a smile. "You're an only child, but I don't know if that's better or not."

"If you have friends, like Armin and Mikasa, it's better, but if don't...it gets pretty lonely," Eren admits, letting go of the smaller boy's upper arm and leaning against him.

"Do you get lonely when your parents are away like this?" the dark-haired boy asks, reaching up a hand to caress the older boy's tanned cheek.

"Sometimes. But I like to focus what's happening now." The lacrosse player places his whole weight on Levi, who still holds him up as if he weighs nothing, despite the major weight difference. Levi is a lot stronger than he lets on, but that's what Eren loves about the younger boy. He holds up people who are close and dear to him.

"You're going to crush me," Levi says as Eren wraps his arms around his smaller figure and buries his face in sweet, apple-scented locks. Well, people who weigh less than sixty-seven-point-one kilograms.

"That was the plan." The brunette smiles into soft dark locks as Levi's book slips from his hands and lands onto the floor. Only because the smaller boy reaches up to hold onto Eren's arms, which are wrapped around his petite shoulders.

Levi smiles. "I think you're just squeezing out all your stress on me."

"What! Rude! I'm not that type of person," Eren complains, turning his head so that dark chocolate and ebony black locks mix together.

"Denial is only the first step, Eren." The dark-haired boy blows away thick locks falling into his eye. "Now, can you get off of me? My rectus abdominis is starting to burn."

"No way. It's what you get for being mean to me."

"Fine, be that way." Levi sighs, leaning forward so that he's lying against the couch, where he can support Eren without tiring out his ab muscles. He's in a position where he can't really do any fancy moves, which is flipping Eren over his back. The dark-haired boy isn't even sure he could, because of the brunette's weight advantage.

Eren's grip loosens around Levi's shoulders, and, with a surprised yelp on his part, the younger boy is flipped onto his back. The brunette observes how dark locks fan out behind on the couch, and how they fall into bright and loving sky-blue eyes. His glasses are a bit crooked, but if you asked Eren what the definition of cute is, it would be the boy lying beneath himself.

Levi reaches up to wrap his arms around Eren's neck, while the older boy leans down to capture full, soft lips. Slim fingers slip into tousled and fluffy dark chocolate locks, Eren's thick locks feeling downy underneath his fingertips.

The brunette moves his own slightly chapped lips slowly and passionately against Levi's gentle ones. Eren gives a firm press to the dark-haired boy's lips, before pulling away slightly. Too bad oxygen is a necessity.

When he takes in a deep breath, pressing his forehead against Levi's, sweet candy apples invade all his senses, intoxicating him.

Levi looks into fiery turquoise eyes. "I'm glad you didn't lose your anger issues from ninth grade."

"I didn't have anger issues! It was puberty. Or so my dad diagnosed me."

The dark-haired boy laughs. "Sure."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you still have anger issues."

"I _so_ do not! You're just being mean." Eren pouts, digging his fingers into Levi's sides, causing the small boy to shriek in surprise.

"Stop, Eren!" Levi laughs, writhing around, trying in vain to get rid of the brunette's pesky and quick fingers that seem to know every single one of his ticklish spots.

"You're so cute!" The older boy smiles, seeing as his boyfriend's cheeks turn a shade of strawberry and tears catch onto his long eyelashes because of his tightly-shut eyes.

"Shut up! Lemme go, jerk," the dark-haired boy manages out between his laughs.

Once, Eren sees that Levi is having a hard time catching his breath, he ceases his attacks. The younger boy breathes heavily, trying to gather precious oxygen.

Eren laughs. "I didn't know you were so ticklish. I just thought I'd try. Good thing I did."

"I hate you." Levi looks up with watery blue eyes.

"Aw, I love you, too, Levi."

* * *

><p>On this fine, rather sunny Monday afternoon, Levi sits out on the bleachers, conversing with Hanji. It feels like he hasn't talked to the brunette in a year. Eren seriously messes up his time-keeping.<p>

"So, have you cracked open the mystery that is Eren Jaeger?" Hanji asks with a joking grin.

"Did you figure that out on your own?" Levi asks back.

"Well, I figured so, since you guys seem pretty close nowadays." The brunette shrugs.

"He's not that much of mystery. He's more like an open book."

"Yeah, and I bet you opened that book."

"Why, do you think Eren is a psychopath with anger issues?" Levi raises an eyebrow.

"Well, he certainly came off like that in freshman year, but I guess people mature." Hanji laughs slightly, then his expression turns serious. "He's being nice to you, right?"

"Of course. What kind of person do you think he is?" the dark-haired boy replies, giving his best friend a weird look.

"Okay, sorry. I didn't mean to make accusations about him, just want to make sure you're in good hands."

"How considerate of you, _Father_." Levi's voice is dripping with sarcasm, but he appreciates Hanji's concern.

"It's perfectly normal for a father to be worried about his daughter," Hanji explains in his all-knowing voice. Levi shakes his head at the brunette's antics.

Suddenly, the ringing of a phone comes from Hanji's pocket. He pulls out his phone and answers it.

Levi sighs, leaning back against the fencing of the bleachers.

"Okay, bye." Hanji hangs up, then he turns to his best friend. "Sorry, I have to go. My mom needs me to go grocery shopping."

"Yeah, no problem."

"I'll see you tomorrow!" the brunette calls over his shoulder, slinging his messenger bag on, and making his way down the bleachers.

Once Hanji is gone, Levi's thoughts wander to Eren. He remembers, actually not too long ago, when he had first started tutoring the brunette, his best friend had said something about Eren being a "mystery".

"There's something more to him," Hanji had said. Levi knows that Eren is no mystery. He knows that Hanji had just been worried about him, and was just warning him.

In fact, Eren is the exact opposite of a mystery. He's so open with his emotions, extreme or not, so it's easy for Levi to know what the older boy is thinking or feeling. It's not too hard to remember the "psychopath with anger issues" from ninth grade. Eren had actually scared Levi a lot with his blunt and forward attitude, since the brunette was always hanging out with Mikasa. The dark-haired boy liked to keep his distance from Mikasa and her weird friends. Not like Hanji wasn't and isn't weird, but at least he wasn't getting upset over every. Single. Little. Thing. Eren was like a piece of paper; you have oxygen, all you need is a spark. Just a measly spark, and you ignite this huge forest fire.

Levi sighs. But he had always admired Eren for standing up in what he believed in. Maybe he had fallen in love with the brunette two years ago, and hadn't even realized it. Love works in strange ways, but it's worth it in the end.

"Hey." The scent of fir trees and laundry detergent hits Levi in a gentle wave. He snaps out of his thoughts, looking at Eren, who had taken a seat next to him. The brunette is wearing his school uniform, indicating that lacrosse practice must have ended.

"Hay is for Jean," Levi says back. Eren laughs.

"Sorry. Ready to go?"

"Mm-hm." The dark-haired boy stands up, his boyfriend following suit, placing his messenger bag on his shoulder. Eren takes a step down before holding out his hand to Levi, who takes it with a small smile. Even though the brunette's hand is sweaty, he doesn't care. That just shows how hard Eren works.

Their fingers interlace as both boys make their way down the bleachers.

As they walk across the campus, Eren spots his best friend walking out the gate with somebody.

"Wait a minute." He furrows his brow. "Is that Connie?"

"Yeah. Mikasa told me that Armin is tutoring him in AP Chem."

"Really? So bold of Armin."

"Give him some credit. Besides, I took you up on tutoring."

"Yeah, but I'm not as obnoxious as Connie," Eren jokes. Levi raises an eyebrow.

"Are you sure about that?"

"I feel hurt." The brunette places a hand over his chest, mocking his being wounded by his beloved's remark.

"Shush, you. You aren't _now_."

"Oh, you're referring to my fourteen-year-old, hormonal self?" Eren asks with a grin.

"Yes. I referring to the way you used to explode at the smallest of things," Levi replies, giving the brunette a side glance.

"I've grown out of that," Eren complains. "I swear."

His boyfriend smiles, bringing up their connected hands to kiss Eren's fingers. "I know. But that doesn't mean I loved you any less."

The brunette blinks. "You mean you liked me in ninth grade?"

"Maybe." Levi isn't too surprised that the older boy had caught on so fast; he's actually pretty perceptive underneath that oblivious layer.

"You know, I think my biggest regret was not noticing you sooner," Eren muses, getting this faraway look in his blue-green eyes. They take on a shade of sea-green from the angle that Levi looks at him.

"I'm happy that you notice me now. You said you like to focus on 'now', right?" the dark-haired boy asks with a small smile. Eren's eyes widen slightly before he grins.

"You remembered?"

"Of course I did. Do you think I don't listen?"

"No, it's just that...I guess it was just a small remark, and I didn't think you'd pick it up." The brunette looks embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck and his tanned cheeks covered in a pink blush.

Levi smiles, subtly swinging their arms between themselves. "Just know, that right now, I love you a lot, Eren."


	18. Chapter 18

**Blooming Love...and Calculus**

_Precisely One Year and Five Months Later…_

"Mom. You need to stop," eighteen-year-old Eren says, taking his mother by the shoulders.

He wears a graduation gown and cap, with a sky-blue dress shirt and black slacks underneath. His mom cries crocodile tears for her son.

"But you're so grown up now!" she wails.

"I know, I know." He smiles and gives her a big hug, which she doesn't hesitate to return. Wrapping her arms tightly around her son's sturdy frame, he notices she only reaches his chin now, even though he's only grown three centimeters taller.

On the other hand, seventeen-year-old Levi and eighteen-year-old Mikasa converse with their dad, who smiles and hugs them tightly to himself.

"Dad, you're crushing me," Levi manages out as he's pressed to his father's side by a rather strong arm.

"That's the point," his dad says, smiling at his children. Mikasa laughs slightly, intertwining fingers with her younger brother's on the small of their father's back, while Levi smiles back.

Both siblings wear graduation gowns and hats; Levi wears a white dress shirt and black slacks underneath, while his older sister went with a simple dark purple dress that brings out the light make-up she had applied.

Suddenly, a low, calming voice floats over them.

"Hey, could I borrow Levi for a moment?" Eren asks, walking up to the trio of Ackermans.

"That's fine by me," Levi's father replies kind smile with a sly wink to his son. The dark-haired boy narrows his eyes at his dad before letting Eren take his hand and lead him somewhere.

"What's wrong?" Levi questions once he and Eren are away from the crowd, and in front of the bleachers behind the gym. The older boy seems a bit nervous.

The brunette exhales before bringing a closed hand from behind his back. He takes Levi's left hand, slipping something on to his ring finger.

"A promise ring. Just so you don't forget our promise." A simple but stunning thin band of pretty 14k gold hugs Levi's slim finger perfectly.

"I would never forget it." The dark-haired boy smiles gently, holding Eren's hand in both of his hands.

"Then consider it an engagement. That is, until I become a guy who can support himself and his fiancée," Eren says, smiling goofily, revealing endearing dimples, as a red blush spreads across his tanned cheeks. Levi's own fair cheeks are a lovely rosy color, complementing his cute smile.

"Until then, I'll wait. But it better be soon."

"What? Now I feel rushed."

"No pressure."

"But now I feel pressured." The brunette laughs, opening his arms up to offer a hug. Levi smiles, wrapping his arms around Eren's toned middle, pressing his face in the brunette's shoulder. The familiar scent of fir invades the dark-haired boy's senses, comforting him.

"I'm just kidding. I'll wait as long as it takes," Levi says, looking up into those sparkling turquoise eyes.

Eren grins. "I love you so much, Levi."

"Aw, I love you a lot, too, Eren."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, guys! Thank you all so much for reading and staying with me throughout the whole time I wrote <em>Blooming Love...and Calculus<em> - I appreciate it so! ****(シ_ _)シ Even though I've been thinking of writing a sequel, I feel relieved and sad that this story is ending.  
><strong>

**Please answer this question, if you want to: would you like me to write a sequel to this story? Thanks, once again! ****( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ - Makoto**


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